How do bacteriophages work? Why is zebrafish used in medical experiments? The Municipal Public Health Center invites citizens to enter hospitals and approach medicine
How do bacteriophages work? Why is zebrafish used in medical experiments? From the 9th to the 15th, Shanghai Shenkang Hospital Development Center collaborated with 37 municipal hospitals to carry out the "Citizen Health Science Popularization Week" and "Hospital Open Day" activities for Shanghai municipal hospitals. On the 11th, the Jinshan and Hongkou campuses of the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center were simultaneously opened to the public, inviting citizens to visit hospitals, get closer to doctors, get closer to medicine, and experience the charm of medical science popularization from zero distance.
In the Jinshan campus, representatives of citizens came to the diagnosis and treatment area of Group C in the ward building, and the staff explained the hospital's development history, disciplinary characteristics, etc; Director of the Infection Control Management Office, Shi Lei, popularized the "Common Infectious Disease Prevention Measures in Daily Life"; Nightingale volunteers operate the cardiopulmonary resuscitation process on-site, popularize the essentials of first aid, and guide students and citizen representatives in practical operations.
In the Public Health Center laboratory, experiencing the integration of cutting-edge technology and clinical medicine has become one of the highlights of the "Open Day". The Public Health Center has specially prepared an "immersive" science popularization experience for students and representatives, covering aspects such as science popularization origami, exhibition board introduction, equipment display, experimental observation, and operational experience.
In the phage science popularization exhibition area, the development history, classic cases and major events of phages are displayed with pictures and texts. The audience can have a look at excellent phage books from the last century to the recent years, and experience the scene of spray disinfection and sterilization in phage environment simulated by professional equipment.
The lifelike bacteriophage origami allows students to have a more intuitive understanding of the overall structure of bacteriophages. It is reported that since its establishment in 2017, the Bacteriophage Research Institute of the Public Health Center has targeted the most common super bacteria in clinical practice, such as Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus, using personalized phage screening and phage "cocktail" therapy, and has treated more than 130 patients with drug-resistant bacterial infections.
Wu Nannan, Associate Researcher of the Institute of Phages, introduced that the Public Health Center has become the largest bacteriophage treatment center in China, and the Institute of Phages has received strong support from peers in the basic and clinical fields. By sharing phage resources, standardizing diagnosis and treatment plans, and popularizing phage knowledge, the medical level of fighting against super bacteria in the post antibiotic era will also be improved.
Zebrafish and mouse experimental animals have aroused strong interest among students and representatives. In the impression of the visitors, zebrafish and mice are domesticated pets, and it is surprising that they can still play an important role in the medical field. The operation experience section, categorizing the gender of zebrafish and observing the spawning process of zebrafish, made all visitors exclaim with excitement.
Researchers have introduced that zebrafish models have been widely used in developmental biology and genetic biology in the past, and in recent years, they have increasingly demonstrated their unique advantages in the field of infectious diseases, such as small size, fast reproduction, transparent whole body of young fish, visualization, and convenient gene manipulation. It is particularly worth mentioning that the zebrafish model has a very conservative immune system compared with human beings, and can form a granuloma structure similar to that of tuberculosis patients. It is an ideal model for studying the immunological mechanism of tuberculosis, anti tuberculosis drugs, screening and evaluation of tuberculosis diagnostic markers and other clinical problems of tuberculosis. The relevant research results are ultimately applied to solve clinical practical problems, which can achieve the complementarity between medicine and scientific research.
In the Hongkou Hospital area, Zhao Xiaolong, the head of the Endocrine Metabolism Outpatient Department, and Yang Yaling, a key physician, held a special science popularization lecture on "Large Outpatient and Small Wards, Efficient and Accurate Sugar Control". They also used science popularization murals in the waiting area to explain disease prevention, treatment, and daily management. Under the guidance of the staff, citizen representatives experienced examination items such as blood pressure and blood glucose measurement, body composition analysis, and fundus photography.
It is reported that the one week "Citizen Health Science Popularization Week" and "Hospital Open Day" activities will focus on hot topics in the health field and invite authoritative experts from relevant disciplines of municipal hospitals to carry out online science popularization live streaming activities; Organize hospital health science popularization activities and hospital open days for the public, as well as "Online Science Popularization Week" and "Cloud Open Day" activities. The activity builds a bridge between doctors and patients, providing citizens with the opportunity to understand real hospitals and bring them closer together. The hospital will also listen to the opinions and suggestions of citizen representatives, continuously improve the patient's medical experience, and shape a harmonious doctor-patient relationship.
