Comparison of post-treatment recurrence between ranibizumab injection and laser photocoagulation for type 1 retinopathy of prematurity.

OBJECTIVE: To compare post-treatment recurrence between ranibizumab injection and laser photocoagulation (LP) for type 1 retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), and explore the associated risk factors. METHODS: The clinical data of ROP infants treated with LP or ranibizumab in a NICU of China from October 2007 to November 2021 were retrospectively analyzed and compared, such as general condition, degree of ROP, therapeutic effectiveness and post-treatment recurrence. The dependent variable was recurrence after ROP treatment. Univariate and regression analysis of risk factors was performed. RESULTS: Of the 298 ROP infants (556 eyes), 58% of the eyes were treated with LP and the other 42% with ranibizumab. There was no significant difference in gestational age at birth, birth weight, sex, delivery mode, prenatal corticosteroids, ROP diagnosed before admission or after admission, and the duration of oxygen therapy between the two groups. However, the ratio of type 1 ROP and aggressive retinopathy of prematurity (A-ROP) in ranibizumab group was higher than that in LP group. The number of treatments, recurrence rate and recurrence interval in ranibizumab group were higher than those in LP group. However, there was no difference in the recurrence rate between the two groups after stratified analysis by the lesion area and the presence or absence of A-ROP. There was no significant difference in the final lesion regression between the two groups. Regression analysis showed that plus disease and ROP located in zone I were independent risk factors for post-treatment recurrence. CONCLUSION: There is no significant difference in the recurrence rate of ROP between ranibizumab injection and LP, and recurrence is mainly related to the severity of ROP. In half of our patients treated with A-ROP recurrences occur.

Bedside Diagnosis for Disseminated Deep Dermatophytosis: a Case Series Study.

Deep cutaneous fungal infections including deep dermatophytosis are responsible for significant morbidity and mortality, especially in immunocompromised patients. Variable and longer turnaround time on tissue culture results delay diagnosis. We sought to seek the fast bedside diagnosis for disseminated deep dermatophytosis by direct microscopy using a blunt scalpel or needle aspiration before biopsy. This is a 6-year retrospective review of patients with a diagnosis of disseminated deep dermatophytosis seen at a single tertiary care institution. Trichophyton rubrum was isolated in four patients, and T. mentagrophyte complex in one patient. All the dermatophyte isolates can grow at 37 °C. Microscopy of purulence sampling from intact nodules demonstrated abundant septate hyphae, and also isolation from purulence was concordance with skin tissue culture. Ultrasound-guided sampling from non-eroded can yield purulence, and direct microscopy of purulence may facilitate rapid diagnosis of deep dermatophytosis and serve to prevent disease progression and dissemination.

YR36/WKS1-Mediated Phosphorylation of PsbO, an Extrinsic Member of Photosystem II, Inhibits Photosynthesis and Confers Stripe Rust Resistance in Wheat.

Wheat stripe rust, due to infection by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst), is a devastating disease that causes significant global grain yield losses. Yr36, which encodes Wheat Kinase START1 (WKS1), is an effective high-temperature adult-plant resistance gene and confers resistance to a broad spectrum of Pst races. We previously showed that WKS1 phosphorylates the thylakoid ascorbate peroxidase protein and reduces its ability to detoxify peroxides, which may contribute to the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). WKS1-mediated Pst resistance is accompanied by leaf chlorosis in Pst-infected regions, but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we show that WKS1 interacts with and phosphorylates PsbO, an extrinsic member of photosystem II (PSII), to reduce photosynthesis, regulate leaf chlorosis, and confer Pst resistance. A point mutation in PsbO-A1 or reduction in its transcript levels by RNA interference resulted in chlorosis and reduced Pst sporulation. Biochemical analyses revealed that WKS1 phosphorylates PsbO at two conserved amino acids involved in physical interactions with PSII and reduces the binding affinity of PsbO with PSII. Presumably, phosphorylated PsbO proteins dissociate from the PSII complex and then undergo rapid degradation by cysteine and aspartic proteases. Taken together, these results demonstrate that perturbations of wheat PsbO by point mutation or phosphorylation by WKS1 reduce the rate of photosynthesis and delay the growth of Pst pathogen before the induction of ROS.

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells modified by angiogenin-1 promotes tissue repair in mice with oxygen-induced retinopathy of prematurity by promoting retinal stem cell proliferation and differentiation.

Retinopathy has become one of the major factors that lead to blindness worldwide. Although many clinical therapies are concerned about such disease, most of them focus on symptoms alleviation. In this study, we aim to investigate whether coculture retinal stem cells (RSCs) with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells transfected with angiogenin-1 (Ang-1-BMSCs) affects the damaged retinal tissue of oxygen-induced retinopathy of prematurity (OIR-ROP) mice. After OIR-ROP mouse model establishment, Ang-1-BMSCs, RSCs, and OIR-ROP retinal tissues were cocultured in a a transwell chamber. RSCs proliferation and the expression of Ang-1, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in the supernatant of RSCs, as well as ß-tubulin and protein kinase C (PKC) expression were evaluated. Finally, the repair of OIR-ROP mice retinal tissues was observed by injecting Ang-1-BMSCs + RSCs. In the OIR-ROP mouse model, RSCs cocultured with OIR-ROP retinal tissues could be induced to differentiate into cells expressing ß-tubulin and PKC and promote the expression of Ang-1 and IGF-1. coculture of Ang-1-BMSCs further enhanced the proliferation and differentiation of RSCs by promoting the expression of Ang-1 and IGF-1. Coculture of RSCs + Ang-1-BMSCs induced differentiation of Ang-1-BMSCs through interaction among intercellular factors and restored the damaged retinal tissue of OIR-ROP mice. Collectively, our study provided evidence that coculture of Ang-1-BMSCs and RSCs could promote the proliferation and differentiation of RSCs and improve the treatment for the damaged retina tissue of OIR-ROP mice.

Polyaspartic acid (PASP)-urea and optimised nitrogen management increase the grain nitrogen concentration of rice.

Increase in grain nitrogen concentration (GNC), which is directly affected by nitrogen (N) application, can help overcome the issues of malnutrition. Here, the effects of urea type (polyaspartic acid (PASP) urea and conventional urea) and N management method (two splits and four splits) on GNC and N concentration of head rice were investigated in field experiments conducted in Sichuan, China, in 2014 and 2015. N concentration of grain and head rice were significantly (P < 0.05) increased by N redistribution from the leaf lamina, activities of glutamine synthetase (GS), and glutamate synthase (GOGAT) at the heading stage, and N concentration and GOGAT activity in the leaf lamina at the maturity stage. Compared to conventional urea, PASP-urea significantly improved N concentration of grain and head rice by improving the activities of GS and GOGAT, thereby increasing N distribution in the leaf lamina. The four splits method, unlike the two splits method, enhanced N concentration and activities of key N metabolism enzymes of leaf lamina, leading to increased GNC and N concentration in head rice too. Overall, four splits is a feasible method for using PASP-urea and improving GNC.

Glucose transporter-1 as an independent prognostic marker for cancer: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Glucose transporter-1 (GLUT-1) as the major glucose transporter present in human cells is found overexpressed in a proportion of human malignancies. This meta-analysis is attempted to assess the prognostic significance of GLUT-1 for survival in various cancers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted an electronic search using the databases PubMed, Embase and Web of Science, from inception to Oct 20th, 2016. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. RESULTS: Fourty-one studies with a total of 4794 patients were included. High GLUT-1 expression was significantly associated with poorer prognosis [overall survival: HR = 1.833 (95% CI: 1.597-2.069, P < 0.0001); disease-free survival: HR = 1.838 (95% CI: 1.264-2.673, P < 0.0001); progression-free survival: HR = 2.451 (95% CI: 1.668-3.233, P < 0.0001); disease specific survival: HR = 1.96 (95% CI: 1.05-2.871, P < 0.0001)]. CONCLUSIONS: High GLUT-1 expression may be an independent prognostic marker to predict poor survival in various types of cancers. Further clinical trials with high quality need to be conducted to confirm our conclusion.

A split ubiquitin system to reveal topology and released peptides of membrane proteins.

BACKGROUND: Membrane proteins define biological functions of membranes in cells. Extracellular peptides of transmembrane proteins receive signals from pathogens or environments, and are the major targets of drug developments. Despite of their essential roles, membrane proteins remain elusive in topological studies due to technique difficulties in their expressions and purifications. METHODS: First, the target gene is cloned into a destination vector to fuse with C terminal ubiquitin at the N or C terminus. Then, Cub vector with target gene and NubWT or NubG vectors are transformed into AP4 or AP5 yeast cells, respectively. After mating, the diploid cells are dipped onto selection medium to check the growth. Topology of the target protein is determined according to Table 1. RESULTS: We present a split ubiquitin topology (SUT) analysis system to study the topology and truncation peptide of membrane proteins in a simple yeast experiment. In the SUT system, transcription activator (TA) fused with a nucleo-cytoplasmic protein shows strong auto-activation with both positive and negative control vectors. TA fused with the cytoplasmic end of membrane proteins activates reporter genes only with positive control vector with a wild type N terminal ubiquitin (NubWT). However, TA fused with the extracellular termini of membrane proteins can't activate reporter genes even with NubWT. Interestingly,TA fused with the released peptide of a membrane protein shows autoactivation in the SUT system. CONCLUSION: The SUT system is a simple and fast experimental procedure complementary to computational predictions and large scale proteomic techniques. The preliminary data from SUT are valuable for pathogen recognitions and new drug developments.

[Combination of Jianpi Liqi Yiliu Formula with Cytokine-induced Killer Cell Treatment for Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of Jianpi Liqi Yiliu Formula (JLYF) combined with cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells for treating patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: Between January 2011 and January 2014, 60 advanced HCC patients were enrolled in this study, who were assigned to the treatment group and the control group according to their willingness for taking JLYF, 30 cases in each group. All patients received CIK cell treatment: 1 x 109-3 x 109 each time, by intravenous dripping from the 1st day to the 3rd day, once per day. Besides, patients in the treatment group took JLYF decoction, while those in the control group took Chinese medical decoction by syndrome typing. All patients received treatment of at least two cycles. The time to progression (TTP) , overall survival (OS), disease control rate (DCR), performance status scale (PS), Child-Pugh scale, and adverse reactions were observed, and subgroup analyzed. RESULTS: To May 31, 2014, all patients reached the clinical endpoint. TTP was 3.5 months (95% Cl: 3.30-4.10) in the treatment group, better than that (2.5 months, 95% CI: 2.32-2.68) of the control group (P < 0.05). DCR was 36.7% in the treatment group and 30.0% in the control group (P > 0.05). OS was 5.2 months (95% CI: 4.53-5.87) in the treatment group and 4.6 months (95% CI: 4.06-5.14) in the control group (P > 0.05). The PS scale was 1.60 ± 0.10 after treatment, lower than that (1.80 ± 0.09) before treatment in the treatment group (P < 0.05). When the PS scale was 0-2 or Child-Pugh scale was class A, TTP was longer in the treatment group than in the control group (P < 0.05). No adverse reaction occurred in the two groups during the treatment course. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of JLYF with ClK cell treatment could prolong advanced HCC patients' TTP, improve PS scale, as compared with syndrome typed Chinese medical decoction treatment group. Besides, when the PS scale was 0-2 or Child-Pugh scale was class A, it was a better treatment program for advanced HCC patients.

Mortality and Morbidity of Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants in the Mainland of China: A Multi-center Study.

BACKGROUND: With the progress of perinatal medicine and neonatal technology, more and more extremely low birth weight (ELBW) survived all over the world. This study was designed to investigate the short-term outcomes of ELBW infants during their Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) stay in the mainland of China. METHODS: All infants admitted to 26 NICUs with a birth weight (BW) < l000 g were included between January l, 2011 and December 31, 2011. All the data were collected retrospectively from clinical records by a prospectively designed questionnaire. The data collected from each NICU transmitted to the main institution where the results were aggregated and analyzed. Categorical variables were performed with Pearson Chi-square test. Binary Logistic regression analysis was used to detect risk factors. RESULTS: A total of 258 ELBW infants were admitted to 26 NICUs, of whom the mean gestational age (GA) was 28.1 ± 2.2 weeks, and the mean BW was 868 ± 97 g. The overall survival rate at discharge was 50.0%. Despite aggressive treatment 60 infants (23.3%) died and another 69 infants (26.7%) died after medical care withdrawal. Furthermore, the survival rate was significantly higher in coastal areas than inland areas (53.6% vs. 35.3%, P = 0.019). BW < 750 g and GA < 28 weeks were the largest risk factors, and being small for gestational age was a protective factor related to mortality. Respiratory distress syndrome was the most common complication. The incidence of patent ductus arteriosus, intraventricular hemorrhage, periventricular leukomalacia, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, retinopathy of prematurity was 26.2%, 33.7%, 6.7%, 48.1%, and 41.4%, respectively. Ventilator associated pneumonia was the most common hospital acquired infection during hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: Our study was the first survey that revealed the present status of ELBW infants in the mainland of China. The mortality and morbidity of ELBW infants remained high as compared to other developed countries.

Fuzheng Kang'ai decoction combined with gefitinib in advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients with epidermal growth factor receptor mutations: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring mutations of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene respond well to the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) gefitinib. Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) has been used as a complementary therapy for cancer for decades in China. CHM was proved to be effective in improving the quality of life (QOL) and reducing the toxicity associated with chemotherapy in patients with NSCLC. The purpose of the present trial is to determine whether CHM (Fuzheng Kang'ai decoction (FZKA), a CHM formula) combined with gefitinib results in longer progression-free survival with less toxicity than gefitinib alone. METHODS/DESIGN: This is a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial. This trial is designed to determine if CHM (FZKA) combined with gefitinib results in longer progression-free survival with less toxicity than gefitinib alone. A total of 70 NSCLC patients with EGFR mutations will be randomly assigned to treatment group (gefitinib plus FZKA granules) or control group (gefitinib plus placebo). The primary endpoint is progression-free survival. Secondary endpoints are: (1) overall survival; (2) disease control rate; (3) QOL, measured with the questionnaire of Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-lung (FACT-L 4.0) and Lung Cancer Symptom Scale and (4) safety. DISCUSSION: In previous clinical practice, we found that CHM (FZKA) could improve the therapeutic efficacy of gefitinib. This study will provide objective evidence to evaluate the efficiency of CHM combined with gefitinib in NSCLC patients with EGFR mutations, and may provide a novel regimen for patients with NSCLC. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ( www.chictr.org ): ChiCTR-IOR-14005679 , registered 17 December 2014.

BPD, Not BPD, or iatrogenic BPD: findings of lung ultrasound examinations.

Lung ultrasound has been extensively used to diagnose many types of lung disease. This study aimed to evaluate the pulmonary reasons for long-term oxygen dependence (LTOD) in premature infants using lung ultrasound.Lung ultrasound was routinely performed in 50 premature infants clinically diagnosed with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD).Among the 50 patients studied, there were 9 cases of atelectasis, 4 cases of pneumonia, 2 cases of severe pulmonary edema, and 3 cases of pulmonary edema and consolidation that coexisted with BPD. The oxygen dependence of the babies either completely resolved or significantly decreased following appropriate treatments.More than one-third of the cases of LTOD in premature babies were caused by either BPD alone or diseases other than BPD. Lung ultrasound plays an important role in differentiating pulmonary causes of LTOD in patients with BPD, and the results of our study suggest that modifying the diagnostic criteria for BPD may be necessary.

[Advance in studies on long-circulating tumor targeted compound preparations].

Tumor has long been a hard-nut problem in the world medical field. The effect of the conventional drugs is very limited because of the intervention of multiple micro-environmental factors during the occurrence and progression of tumors. With the characteristics of high efficiency, low toxicity and multi-targets synergistic effect, the long-circulating tumor targeted compound preparations show its unique advantages in improving tumor microenvironment and enhancing the therapeutic effect of treatment, thus it has gradually become a hotspot of studies both at home and abroad. Through consulting a great number of professional literatures at home and abroad in recent years, the authors summarized the current studies in vitro and in vive on long-circulating tumor targeted compound preparations in different carriers, in the expectation of providing new ideas and methods for the development of long-circulating tumor targeted compound preparations.

Neonatal outcomes of very preterm infants from a neonatal intensive care center.

BACKGROUND: Information about clinical outcomes of very preterm (VPT) infants in tertiary neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) setting is scant in China. This study aimed to investigate the mortality and morbidity of VPT infants admitted to BaYi Children's Hospital, which serves as a NICU referral center for the city of Beijing, China. METHODS: Retrospectively collected perinatal/neonatal data on all admissions of infants born at <32 weeks of gestational age and subsequently admitted to the VPTNICU from clinical records between October 2010 and September 2011. RESULTS: Totally 729 infants were identified. 90% of VPT infants were outborn. The overall survival of the infants to discharge was 92%, which increased with increasing gestational age (range from 69% at <28 weeks to 99% at 31 weeks). The incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia was 4%, retinopathy of prematurity requiring treatment 2%, intraventricular hemorrhage III-IV 6%, and periventricular leukomalacia 2%. 10% of the VPT infants had a major morbidity at discharge. CONCLUSIONS: The outcomes of the VTP infants at this referral NICU were comparable to those in tertiary centers in developed countries. The most common complications were lower than those in other cohorts. Accordingly, high-volume NICU may minimize the adverse effects of VPT infants' transport.

[The distribution of Chinese medicine syndrome types in primary liver cancer and their differences of the survival time: a clinical study].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the distribution of Chinese medicine (CM) syndrome types in primary liver cancer (PLC) and their differences of the survival time. METHODS: From May 2007 to March 2009, recruited were 151 PLC inpatients at Department of Tumor, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Their survival time were statistically calculated. Patients' average survival time and median survival time were calculated using Kaplan-Meier method. The Log-rank test was used to analyze their differences of survival time among different CM syndrome types. RESULTS: The proportion of CM syndrome types in PLC patients were ranked from high to low as follows: mutual accumulation of dampness and blood stasis syndrome [MADBSS, 43.0% (65/151)], Gan-stagnation Pi-deficiency syndrome [GSPDS, 34.4% (52/151)], qi stagnation blood stasis syndrome [QSBSS, 9.3% (14/151)], retention of damp-heat syndrome [RDHS, 8.6%(13/151)], and Gan-Shen yin deficiency syndrome [GSYDS, 4.6% (7/ 151)]. The median survival time of different CM syndrome types were ranked from longer to shorter as follows: GSPDS (14.77 months), QSBSS (6.13 months), RDHS (5.27 months), MADBSS (4.78 months), and GSYDS (0.80 months). The mean survival times were ranked from longer to shorter as follows: GSPDS (12.40 months), QSBSS (8.84 months), MADBSS (6.99 months), RDHS (7.08 months), and GSYDS (0.72 months). There was statistical difference in the difference of the survival time among different CM syndrome types (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: GSPDS and MADBSS were the most common CM syndrome types in PLC patients. There was difference in the survival time between GSPDS and MADBSS/between RDHS and GSYDS. There was difference in the survival time between MADBSS and GSYDS. Patients of GSPDS might get the best prognosis, while patients of GSYDS might get the poorest prognosis.

[Research progress in cytokines and signaling pathways for promoting pulmonary angiogenesis and vascular development].

With the advances in pre- and post-natal medical care, the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is on the rise, while its pathogenesis remains not clear. New BPD theory shows that the core pathogenesis of BPD is simple alveolar structure and pulmonary microvascular abnormalities that eventually lead to reduced pulmonary gas exchange, so the research on pulmonary microvascular development was gradually taken seriously. Pulmonary angiogenesis and vascular development require the participation of various cytokines and signaling pathways, the most important of which include VEGF/VEGFR pathway, Ang/Tie pathway, Ephrins/Eph pathway, and Notch/Jagged1 pathway. These cytokines and signaling pathways play important roles in pulmonary vascular development.

Description of Belnapia rosea sp. nov. and emended description of the genus Belnapia Reddy et al. 2006.

A novel alphaproteobacterial strain, designated CPCC 100156(T), was isolated from a forest soil sample collected from Hainan Island, South China, and subjected to taxonomic investigation using a polyphasic approach. The pink- to rosy-coloured colonies on TSA and YM agar were smooth and moist. Good growth occurred at 28-32 °C and at pH 7.0-7.5. The respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-9. The polar lipids consisted of phosphatidylcholine (PC), hydroxyphosphatidylethanolamine (OH-PE), phosphatidylglycerol (PG), diphosphatidylglycerol (DPG) and two unidentified aminolipids (AL1, AL2), with a minor amount of ninhydrin-positive phosphoglycolipid. (NPG). The major cellular fatty acids were summed feature 8 (C(18:1)ω7c /C(18:1)ω6c) (49.5%), summed feature 3 (C(16:1)ω7c/C(16:1)ω6c) (22.5%), and C(16:0) (14.0%). The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 70.3 mol%. The organism showed 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity of 97.37% with Belnapia moabensis DSM 16746(T). Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that the isolate belonged to the family Acetobacteraceae and consistently formed a robust cluster with Belnapia moabensis DSM 16746(T) in the phylogenetic tree. The DNA-DNA hybridization value between the new isolate and Belnapia moabensis DSM 16746(T) was 45.6%. On the basis of the taxonomic evidence, it is proposed that strain CPCC 100156(T) represents a novel species, for which the name Belnapia rosea sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is CPCC 100156(T) (=DSM 23312(T)=CGMCC 1.10758(T)). The description of the genus Belnapia is emended accordingly.

Antitumor effect of resorcinol derivatives from the roots of Ardisia brevicaulis by inducing apoptosis.

Two new resorcinol derivatives 2-methoxy-4-hydroxy-6-(8Z-pentadecenyl)-benzene-1-O-acetate (1) and 2-methoxy-4-hydroxy-6-pentadecyl-benzene-1-O-acetate (2), together with four known compounds 2-methoxy-4-hydroxy-6-tridecyl-benzene-1-O-acetate (ardisiphenol D, 3), 5-(8Z-pentadecenyl)resorcinol (4), 5-pentadecylresorcinol (5), 5-tridecylresorcinol (6), have been isolated from the roots of Ardisia brevicaulis in our previous work. In the present study, the inhibitory effect of 1-6 on the proliferation of human pancreatic PANC-1, human lung A549, human gastrointestinal carcinoma SGC 7901, human breast MCF-7, and human prostate PC-3 cancer cells was evaluated by the methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium method. Compounds 1-6 all showed inhibitory activities against the proliferation of PANC-1, A549, SGC7901, MCF-7, and PC-3 cancer cells. Compound 3, the most active agent and the main constituent with the highest yield, induced apoptosis of PANC-1 cells (the most sensitive cell line among the cell lines screened) via the activation of caspase-3 and caspase-9, up-regulation of the ratio of bax/bcl-2 protein expression.

Actinoplanes sichuanensis sp. nov. and Actinoplanes xinjiangensis sp. nov.

Two motile actinomycetes, designated strains 03-723(T) and 03-8772(T), which had potent inhibitory activity against Enterococcus faecium peptide deformylase and several clinical Gram-positive, antibiotic-resistant strains, were isolated from two soil samples collected from Sichuan Province and Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China, respectively. The taxonomic status of these two organisms was established by using a polyphasic approach. The taxonomic data were consistent with the assignment of the strains to the genus Actinoplanes. The neighbour-joining phylogenetic tree based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that the two isolates formed a branch with the type strains of Actinoplanes lobatus, Actinoplanes auranticolor, Actinoplanes capillaceus, Actinoplanes campanulatus and Actinoplanes philippinensis in the clade of Actinoplanes species. This branching pattern was also supported by the tree constructed with the maximum-parsimony method. Levels of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity between strains 03-723(T) and 03-8772(T) and their phylogenetic neighbours ranged from 98.0 to 98.8 % and 97.4 to 98.1 %, respectively. However, the two strains shared low levels of DNA-DNA relatedness with the type strains of closely related Actinoplanes species and were readily distinguished by using a combination of phenotypic properties. Therefore, it is proposed that strains 03-723(T) and 03-8772(T) represent two novel species of the genus Actinoplanes, for which the names Actinoplanes sichuanensis sp. nov. (type strain 03-723(T)=KCTC 19460(T)=CCM 7526(T)) and Actinoplanes xinjiangensis sp. nov. (type strain 03-8772(T)=KCTC 19461(T)=CCM 7527(T)) are proposed.

[Effect of lethal hyperoxia on pulmonary development and lung injury in neonatal rats].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of oxygen at lethal levels (95%) on pulmonary development and lung injury in neonatal rats and establish rat models of bronchopulmonary dysplasia. METHODS: Three-day-old and adult SD rats were assigned to experimental or control groups and subjected to 95% O(2) exposure and room air for 7 days. Body weight and length of the rats were recorded, and histological study of the lung tissue and radical alveoli count (RAC) were carried out. RESULTS: The mortality rate of the neonatal and adult rats was 12.5% and 35.2% in hyperoxia group, respectively. The newborn rats in hyperoxic group had lower body weight (18.02-/+0.68 vs 13.24-/+0.59 g) and length (8.83-/+0.25 vs 6.76-/+0.51 cm) than those in the control group (P<0.05), with also lower RAC (9.50-/+1.05 vs 13.00-/+1.79, P<0.05); RAC of the adult rats with hyperoxic exposure (12.67-/+2.25) was higher that of exposed neonatal rats, but not significantly different from that of the adult or neonatal rats in the control group (P>0.05). Structure configuration of the rats on the first 10 days of life resembled that of adulthood. The lung of hyperoxic neonatal rats showed thinner walls of alveoli, simple alveolar structure, fewer and larger alveoli, expanded and shrunk alveoli, while the lung of the adult rats displayed thicker septa, smaller space of alveoli, and cells in the space of the alveoli. CONCLUSION: Exposure of neonatal rats to 95% O(2) may result in mild pulmonary inflammation in addition to growth impediment and impaired lung development, which shares morphologic similarities to human bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

[Treatment of thalassemia major with unrelated donor bone marrow transplantation].

OBJECTIVE: Allogeneic marrow transplantation is a curative therapy for thalassemia, but no more than 30% of patients have HLA-indentical sibling marrow donor. The selection of alternative donors of unrelative marrow and the study on the probability of treating thalassemia major with unrelated donor bone marrow transplantation are of importance. METHODS: Nine children with thalassemia were included in the study, and their gene mutational type were homozygote of thalassemia and double heterozygote, respectively. All of them were finally diagnosed of thalassemia major, and treated with unrelated donor bone marrow transplantation. To high-resolution HLA typing, two patients were matched, five had one unmatched isoform and two had two unmatched isoforms. The erythrocyte blood type was not matched in six patients. The preparative regimen included busulfan (oral use, 16 mg/kg, divided for 4 days), cyclophosphamide (intravenous use, 200 mg/kg, divided for 4 days), antithymocyte immunoglobulin (intravenous use, 30 mg/kg, divided for 3 days), and fludarabine (intravenous use, 125 mg/m(2), divided for 3 days). Ciclosporin A and methotrexate were used for graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis. RESULTS: All patients had allergen reactions. One had hypotension. Five patients experienced I degrees approximately III degrees acute GVHD in the skin, while one had II degrees acute GVHD in liver. One patient had III degrees GVHD of intestines and gradually developed chronic GVHD in the skin, lungs and brain. One patient died of pulmonary hemorrhage. The duration when peripheral blood neutrophil count exceeded 0.5 x 10(9)/L was 12 - 26 days. The recovery time of WBC was as long as 23 - 110 days. Thrombocytes exceeded 50 x 10(9) within 61 approximately 142 days. The time when hemoglobin reached 100 g/L varied from 23 to 116 days. The last blood transfusion was on 13 - 62 days. Eight patients were fully grafted, while one was not grafted. During the 6 - 24 months of follow-up, seven patients' genotype of thalassemia major became normal. The erythrocyte blood type of five patients also changed into the same as that of donor. The hemoglobin was kept over 110 g/L without blood transfusion. CONCLUSION: The transplantation of unrelated donor bone marrow for thalassemia major was successful. Unrelated donor bone marrow transplantation could cure thalassemia major, which expanded the marrow donor source for the transplantation of thalassemia major.