CD56bright NK cell expansion correlated with EBV reactivation control post allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Natural killer (NK) cells are equipped with anti-Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) function, however, whether EBV infection will affect NK cells reconstitution after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) remains unclear. To identify the characteristics of NK cells, we prospectively enrolled 11 patients who occurred EBV reactivation post allo-HSCT and 11 patients without EBV infection as control. We found that that EBV infection induced the expansion of CD56bright and NKG2A+KIR- NK subsets,and decreased the cytotoxicity function of NK cells. The frequency of NKG2A+KIR- NK cells were higher in patients who progressed into post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) than EBV viremia patients, which also correlated with decreased proliferation and cytotoxic function. By screening the activation receptors of NK cells, we found the DNAM-1+CD56bright NK cells is significantly increased after EBV stimulation, further we demonstrated that DNAM-1 is essential for EBV induced NK cells activation as the cytokine release against EBV-transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines(EBV-LCLs) of CD56bright NK cells were significantly decreased after DNAM-1 blockade. NK cells infusion suppressed the progression of EBV-related tumor mice model. A prospective cohort indicated that old donor age was an independent risk factor for EBV infection. Rapid CD56bri expansion and high expression of DNAM-1 on CD56bri NK cells in response to EBV reactivation correlated with rapid EBV clearance post allo-HSCT in patients with younger donors. In summary, our data showed that high expression of DNAM-1 receptors on NK cell may participate protective CD56bri NK cells response to EBV infection after allo-HSCT.

Availability of anesthesia equipment in Chinese hospitals: is the safety of anesthesia patient care assured?

Availability of physiologic monitoring equipment to ensure the safe administration of anesthesia is an expected standard in many parts of the world. Many hospitals in China may not have an adequate quantity and variety of anesthesia delivery and patient monitoring equipment to assure safe administration of anesthesia patient care. We present some typical cases of hospitals of different sizes and located in regions with different economic levels; our data demonstrate that there is a lack of available anesthesia administration and patient monitoring equipment in small hospitals and hospitals in economically underdeveloped regions.

[Impact of new trend of ecological environment changes on growth, reproduction and diffusion of Oncomelania hupensis].

Oncomelania hupensis is the only intermediate host of Schistosoma japonicum, and the growth, reproduction and distribution of O.hupensis play an important role in schistosomiasis prevalence and transmission. This article reviews the influence of the new trend of ecological environment changes on the growth, reproduction and diffusion of the snails.

[Analysis of epidemiological characteristics of imported malaria cases in Chongqing Municipality in 2015].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the laboratory diagnosis results and epidemiological characteristics of imported malaria cases in Chongqing Municipality in 2015. METHODS: According to the Standard Operating Procedures of Malaria Diagnosis Reference Laboratory Manual, all the blood samples collected from the imported malaria patients were detected by microscopy, RDT and nest PCR. Meanwhile, the epidemiological data of the malaria cases were collected from the Parasitic Diseases Information Management System and analyzed. RESULTS: Totally 31 cases of imported malaria were reported in Chonqing Municipality in 2015, among which, there were 2 vivax malaria cases (6.45%), 23 falciparum malaria cases (74.19%), 5 ovale malaria cases (16.13%), 1 malariae malaria case (3.22%). For the 5 ovale cases, three of them were confirmed as Plasmodium ovale wallikeri infection. Among all the cases, 30 cases (96.77%) were from African countries, 1(3.33%) was from Southeast Asia. Thirty patients were male, and 1 was female. All the patients were aged from 23-61 years. There was no obvious seasonality in the case distribution. Both the medians of duration from malaria attack to first visiting a doctor and from first visiting a doctor to diagnosis were 2 days. The medical care units that the patients first visited were mainly county-level units, while those that made the diagnosis were mainly provincial level institutes. CONCLUSIONS: All the malaria cases in Chongqing in 2015 are imported, no local cases have been found, which suggests that this municipality still maintain the malaria elimination state. However, the monitoring and management of imported malaria cases as well as the training on malaria control for related medical staff still need to be strengthened.

Visfatin levels in patients with severe pneumonia.

BACKGROUND: As a cytokine highly expressed in internal organs, visfatin could be used as a biomarker of systemic inflammation response for chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, but few studies have reported the use of visfatin in severe pneumonia. The present study was undertaken to determine the plasma levels of visfatin in patients with severe pneumonia. METHODS: A total of 70 patients, including 40 patients with severe pneumonia (group A) and 30 patients with non severe pneumonia (group B) who had been admitted to the ICU from June 2009 to June 2010, were enrolled in this prospective study. And another 30 healthy physical examinees served as healthy controls (group C). Patients were excluded if they suffered from severe diseases of the heart, brain and kidney, cancers, autoimmune diseases, or received special treatment in the latest month. The plasma levels of visfatin, IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α were measured by ELISA, while the level of CRP was determined by immuneturbidimetry, and the routine blood test was performed. Blood gas analysis and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) were performed in patients with pneumonia. Comparisons between the groups were conducted by Student's t test, ANOVA or nonparametric test. Correlation analysis was carried out by Pearson's correlation test or Spearman's rank-order correlation test. RESULTS: The plasma level of visfatin in group A was significantly higher than that in groups B and C (P<0.001), and the level of visfatin in group B was significantly higher than that in group C (P<0.001). The plasma level of visfatin was positively correlated with CRP, TNF-α, APACHE II and PMN% in patients with severe pneumonia (rho =0.653, r=0.554, r=0.558, r=0.484, respectively, P<0.05 for all), while it was negatively correlated with PaO2 and PaO2/FiO2 (rho =-0.422, r=-0.543, respectively, P<0.05 for all). CONCLUSION: Visfatin may be involved in the systematic inflammation response in patients with severe pneumonia as a pro-inflammatory cytokine, and it is valuable in assessing the severity of pneumonia..