Wuhan medical staff on trial for organ trafficking

by Michael Woodhead
A gang of 12 organ traffickers including surgeons, anaesthetists and nurses on on trial in Wuhan accused of selling organs for up to 360,000 yuan ($58,000).
In a case know as the "undergound kidney trafficking network" the 12 are accused of buying and selling kidneys in a million-yuan scheme scheme in which donors were paid 30,000 yuan ($5000). According to the Anhui News, the gang performed six commercial organ transplant operations between 2012 and 2013, for which they charged between 170,000 and 360,000 yuan ($27,000-58,000), which was divided up between the participants. The gang included a surgeon called Dr Chen, an anaesthetist Dr Peng, an assistant surgeon Dr Yao, two surgical nurses, and two follow-up nurses. There was also a group of 'fixers and 'agents who bought medical equipment and drugs and who set up the deals and arranged premises in the Jiangxia district in which to perform the illegal operations.  Other gang members arranged transport and liaised between medical staff and buyers and sellers. Eleven members of the gang have already pleaded guilty to the offences. The ringleaders of the gang were an agent called Deng and Dr Chen. Deng set up the deals through the internet, making contact with people looking for an organ and also contacting people who were willing to sell one of their kidneys. Deng said he received 34,000 yuan ($5500) for each deal. One donor in the court said he could now put his heart at rest. he said he greatly regretted his disastrous decision to sell one of his kidneys when he was deeply in debt. now he said he was easily tired and had lost all his strength after the operation.
Xinhua report does not say at which hospital the doctors worked or who the buyers of the organs were, nor what the outcomes of illegal organ transplant surgery were.

'Shaolin patient' amazes Wuhan doctors (or is it fake?)

A patient at a Wuhan hospital gave medical staff a demonstration of his amazing Shaolin monk like 'wugong' powers after he recovered from a serious jaw injury following a car crash.
The photo was posted by a Dr Wan Qilong at the Wuhan Stomatological Hospital, who said it was of a 37-year old patient demonstrating his martial art skills by balancing horizontally on a table using only his finger. The manouevre is known as "One Finger Meditation", according to the report in Ifeng News. Dr Wan said the patient had suffered a broken jaw in a car accident and had been treated at the plastic surgery and orthopaedic departments of the hospital to recover his function. At first the man known as Chen Mo was unable to open his mouth or eat, and it took him two months to recover his jaw function. He was so grateful to the doctors and nursing staff that he said he would give them a demonstration of the martial arts skills that he had studied since childhood. Just before he was discharged from the hospital Chen Mou demonstrated the "One Finger Meditation" and staff were amazed by his skill. The photo of  his balancing act was posted by Dr Wan on the internet and it has since attracted a lot of comment.

Wuhan pollution causing cancer in children, says oncologist

by Michael Woodhead
The increasingly severe pollution and smog in Wuhan is having "terrible consequences" for  the health of local people, a cancer specialist has to the Wuhan political consultative conference.
Dr Liu Li of the Xiehe Hospital Cancer Centre told the Wuhan conference that cancer rates in the city had increased in the last 10 years and tumours were now being seen at a much younger age.
Dr Liu said the number of beds at the hospitals cancer centre has doubled to more than 1000 in the last decade, but they were still at 100% occupancy. He said the incidence and mortality of cancer in Wuhan were without precedent, and it was shocking to see infants presenting with tumours.
To see an infant needing chemotherapy can only make you cry" he told the conference.
Lung cancer is the most common type of cancer we see and the contributory factors are complex, but air pollutio is no doubt theimportant  'assasin'," he said.
According to the Hubei Daily, Dr Liu called on environmental protection department to take urgent action to address the smog problem. One example is the common practice of burning rubbish, he said, which causes large amounts of ash and hazardous particles to be released into the air.
"Air pollution is now a critical threat to population health in Wuhan, he said.

Three out of four Chinese women have never had a mammogram

by Michael Woodhead
Breast cancer incidence has increased dramatically among Chinese women in the past 20 years most have never had a mammogram and have little interest in undergoing screening, a new study has found.
A survey conducted in 400 women in Wuhan flu d that 75% of the women never had a mammogram. Most women felt that there was little need to have breast cancer screening, especially if they were healthy, and many showed a lack of awareness and knowledge of breast cancer screening.
The study researchers said that the changes in breast cancer incidence and distribution of breast cancer patterns in Chinese women present opportunities for developing and implementing effective public health programs to promote breast cancer screening for women in China.
"It is essential that public health campaigns focus on the importance of early detection and prevention that target both general public and health care professionals working directly with their clients," they say.
They note that the concept of screening while asymptomatic is lacking among Chinese women and a low priority toward breast cancer screening was observed in the study.
"As a result, this study highlights a critical need among general public, health professionals, and the health care system to work collaboratively toward narrowing the gap in breast cancer screening and to improve the quality of breast cancer care in this population.
Source: International Journal of Breast Cancer

Sex hospital opens in Wuhan for infertile couples

Despite the plethora of sex videos and DIY tomes on the art of conceiving, some couples face huge problems when it comes to having babies. Now an enterprising hospital in Hubei has introduced its "second nuptial chamber" to aid those affected.
Each room in the Songziniao hospital in Wuhan, Hubei province, comprises 538 square feet of matrimonial bliss - red lamps, sex toys, automatically adjustable double bed and diagrams.
Sex-skill videos, nurse and air hostess uniforms are available on request.
Huazhong Normal University sex professor Peng Xiaohui highlighted the magnitude of the problem.
He once treated a couple who failed to conceive after three years of marriage. The reason - the husband had mistaken his wife's belly button for her privates.
A session in the nuptial chamber does not come cheap - couples will have to fork out 880 yuan (HK$1,093) per night.
Source: HK Standard

Wuhan researchers develop oral vaccine for rabies

Affordable vaccine may help prevent rabies deaths in China

by Michael Woodhead
Researchers from Wuhan have helped develop a new vaccine for rabies that is based on the virus that causes kennel cough.
Publishing their research in the Journal of Virology, scientists from the State-key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology at the College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan say that untreated rabies virus infection is fatal and the disease causes 55,000 deaths a year. They note that vaccine and post-exposure treatment are effective in preventing rabies, but rabies vaccination and treatment have not been widely used in developing countries due to the high cost.
To try develop an effective and cost effective rabies vaccine they tried a new approach by using Parainfluenza virus 5 as a vaccine vector.  They note that Parainfluenza virus 5 is thought to contribute to kennel cough and kennel cough vaccines containing live PIV5 have been used in dogs for many years.
Therefore they tested a PIV5-vectored rabies vaccine in mice. A recombinaint PIV5 encoding RABV glycoprotein (G) (rPIV5-RV-G) was administrated to mice via intranasal (IN), intramuscular (IM) and oral inoculation. They found that  a single dose of the new vaccine was sufficient for 100% protection when administrated intranasally. The intramuscular route also provided very robust protection (90%-100%) against rabies. And intriguingly, the mice vaccinated orally with a single dose of vaccine showed a  50% survival rate, which is comparable to the 60% survival rate sen with the attenuated rabies vaccine.
"This is first report of an orally effective rabies vaccine candidate in animals based on PIV5 as a vector. These results indicate the rPIV5-RV-G is an excellent candidate for a new generation of recombinant rabies vaccine for humans and animals and PIV5 is a potential vector for oral vaccines," they conclude.
Source: Journal of Virology

Breast cancer gene ESR1 found in Chinese women

A polymorphism near the oestrogen receptor gene (ESR1) (rs2046210) is associated with a risk of breast cancer in Chinese women, researchers from Wuhan have confirmed.
A case control study carried out at the Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, compared 461 cases of breast cancer and 537 controls from a Chinese Han population. It found that the rs2046210 A allele was significantly associated with breast cancer risk, with an increased risk of 32% This was confirmed in a meta-analysis integrating the current study and previous publications with a total of 53,379 cases and 55,493 controls. It found  a significant association between this polymorphism and breast cancer risk  in the overall population and especially among Asians. The increased risk was 14% higher overall and 27% higher among Asians.
Read more: PLOS One

Wuhan hospitals ban routine X-rays to curb radiation risk

Usage rate of X-rays in China is 300 times that seen in the UK

Several hospitals in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, have canceled chest X-ray examinations due to the possibility of physical harm, according to a report from Changjiang Daily on Tuesday.
Chest X-rays are a common medical examination method; however they can also damage human bodies due to excessive exposure to radiation. According to chinanews.com, the utilisation rate of chest X-ray examinations is 61.8 percent in China, more than 300 times of that of Britain, which is only 0.2%. Moreover, this examination has already been sharply curtailed in most developed countries including the US and Japan.
Liu Junfang, chief of the radiological department of Zhongnan Hospital of the University of Wuhan, said that excessive radiation exposure would harm young children, teenagers, and cause diseases including cancer.
Since 2006, the Wuhan Department of Health has canceled X-rays as part of the regular physical examination for students in middle schools and elementary schools.
Some hospitals in the city also canceled the examination, or stopped recommending the examination to minors six years ago.
Furthermore, experts also suggested that X-ray checks for pregnant women and women with intrauterine devices should also be canceled.
However, Wang Yimin, director of the radiological department of Wuhan PLA 161 Hospital, said the safety level of a chest X-ray examination was still within the national regulations, and some patients choose it due to the low cost.
Source: CRI

Wuhan surgeon attributes success to playing Counter Strike

Dr Jiang Bin says playing Counter Strike helped his manual surgical skills

Post 80's generation Chinese (people born on and after 1980) get a lot of flack in China for being a group of entitled children. The reasoning behind this scorn for the post 80's generation partially has to do with the fact that they were born during a time when China first started economic reforms and haven't really had to deal with any hardships such as the "Cultural Revolution".
Another issue is supposedly that this generation, which grew up with video games and systems such as the Nintendo Famicom (NES), are weak and self absorbed with everything handed to them. Well one post 80s Chinese surgeon has proved the stereotypes wrong by placing in the top three of a national surgery contest. And, he claims it was all due to countless hours playing Counter Strike.
Thirty one year-old Wuhan surgeon Jiang Bin placed third during this year's national "basic medical skills" competition this year. Not only did Dr. Jiang place third in the nation, he was also the youngest contestant to compete.
The competition comprised of various basic surgery skills including non-invasive surgery. Stacked up against some of China's best doctors, Dr. Jiang said he was very nervous but was confident in his skills, skills that he claims he gained because of his past playing Counter Strike!
Dr. Jiang says that he used to play lots of Counter Strike when he was in college and that many of the skills in CS such as fast and steady hand eye coordination were essential to becoming a good surgeon. During the surgery portion of the competition Dr. Jiang scored amongst the highest, with a 4.7 out of a possible 5.
Taking Dr. Jiang as an example, I guess Chinese parents can't really say playing video games is a waste of time anymore can they?
Source: Kotaku

Female civil servants protest against gynaecological examinations

Students say employment-related gynaecological checks for female civil servants are intrusive and unnecessary

[translation] by Michael Woodhead
On November 26,  female students in the Wuhan (Hubei) Provincial Human Resources and Social Security Department mounted a 'flash' demonstration to protest against the current  mandatory female civil servant employment gynaecological medical checks.
According to protest organisers, the currently female civil servant recruitment examination, includes a gynecological examination, which they say is unnecessary and intrusive
"This  requires women not only to accept a vaginal speculum exam, but also answer questions such as the age of first menstruation cycle, amount of bleeding, the duration and so on.
　　"We believe that the the entry examination program has nothing to do with the ability to perform in the civil service, and violates the privacy of citizens. We are therefore mounting a flash event to remind the relevant departments to get rid of the civil service gynecological entrance requirement," the organisers said.
　　One student who participated in the "flash"said that according to the employment health check manual, the focus of the gynecological examination was to be for sexually transmitted diseases and malignancy, but normal work exposure does not cause the spread of STDs - and infections would not usually prevent a civil servant from properly fulfilling their duties. She also noted that STDs are best detected through blood tests not intimate examinations.
　　Currently, Hubei Province, Human Resources and Social Security Department is yet to respond to the action of the students.
　　A Zhongnan University Law School associate professor Lian Yungang said the imposition of  gynecological examinations for female civil servants' employment checks could be seen as employment discrimination, and contrary to Equal Opportunity provisions of China's labor laws and employment regulations.
　　The requirements because they appear lack of purpose, are not "appropriate" and exceed the "principle of proportionality" beyond a reasonable range, he added.
Read more: China Medical Tribune

Wuhan hospital gives staff scooters to cruise corridors

A Chinese hospital's long halls have meant nurses have to make long hauls when responding to a patient emergency. With the lives of preemies and newborns at stake, the MCH Institute in Wuhan, Hubei Province has issued scooters and bikes to nurses so they can get to the scene as fast as possible.

The hospital's neonatal unit is designed with a pair of 80-meter (262.5 ft) long hallways extending outwards in opposite directions from the main nursing station.

Read more: Inventorspot