[Short-term efficacy and safety of cardiac contractility modulation in patients with heart failure].

Objective: To investigate the short-term efficacy and safety of cardiac contractility modulation (CCM) in patients with heart failure. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of patients with heart failure who underwent CCM placement at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from February to June 2022. With a follow-up of 3 months, CCM sensation, impedance, percent output, and work time were monitored, and patients were compared with pre-and 3-month postoperative left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) values, and 6-minute walk test distance and New York Heart Association (NYHA) cardiac function classification, and the occurrence of complications was recorded. Results: CCM was successfully implanted in all 9 patients. Seven(7/9) of them were male, aged (56±14) years, 3 patients had ischaemic cardiomyopathy and 6 patients had dilated cardiomyopathy. At 3-month postoperative follow-up, threshold was stable, sense was significantly lower at follow-up than before (right ventricle: (16.3±7.0) mV vs. (8.2±1.1) mV, P<0.05; local sense: (15.7±4.9) mV vs. (6.7±2.5) mV, P<0.05), and impedance was significantly lower at follow-up than before (right ventricle (846±179) Ω vs. (470±65) Ω, P<0.05, local sense: (832±246) Ω vs. (464±63) Ω, P<0.05). The CCM output percentage was (86.9±10.7) %, the output amplitude was (6.7±0.4) V, and the daily operating time was (8.6±1.0) h. LVEF was elevated compared to preoperative ((29.4±5.2) % vs. (38.3±4.3) %, P<0.05), the 6-minute walk test was significantly longer than before ((96.8±66.7)m vs. (289.3±121.7)m, P<0.05). No significant increase in the number of NYHA Class Ⅲ-Ⅳ patients was seen (7/9 vs. 2/9, P>0.05). The patient was not re-hospitalised for worsening heart failure symptoms, had no malignant arrhythmic events and experienced significant relief of symptoms such as chest tightness and shortness of breath. No postoperative complications related to pocket hematoma, pocket infection and rupture, electrode detachment, valve function impairment, pericardial effusion, or cardiac perforation were found. Conclusions: CCM has better short-term safety and efficacy in patients with heart failure.

[The association between the frequency of prenatal care in childbearing aged women and risk of small for gestational age among neonatal twins in Shaanxi Province].

Objective: To explore the association between the frequency of prenatal care in childbearing aged women and risk of small for gestational age (SGA) among neonatal twins in Shaanxi Province. Methods: From July to December 2013, a total of 30 027 childbearing aged women, who were pregnant from January 2010 to November 2013 and had definite outcomes, were selected from 30 districts (counties) of Shaanxi Province by using the multi-stage random sampling method. The questionnaires with a face-to-face survey method were used to retrospectively collect demographic information, pregnancy history, lifestyle during pregnancy, disease history, nutritional supplements, and health care during pregnancy. Information on the gestational age and birth weight of the newborn were obtained by consulting the medical certificate of birth and were registered as twin A and twin B by birth order. Finally, 356 childbearing aged women and their twin babies with complete data were included in the analysis. A generalized estimation equation model was used to analyze the association between the frequency of prenatal care and the risk of SGA among neonatal twins. Results: The age of childbearing aged women was (27.44±4.68) years old, of which 79.49% (283 women) were rural residents and 44.38% (158 women) had seven or more times prenatal care. The gestational age and birth weight were (37.64±2.51) weeks and (2 510±497) g, respectively. The prevalence of SGA was 51.40% (183/356) for twin A and 53.37% (190/356) for twin B, respectively. The prevalence of SGA was 44.30% (70/158) for twin A with seven or more times prenatal care and 42.41% (67/158) for twin B with seven or more times prenatal care, which was lower than that for twins with less than seven times prenatal care, respectively [57.07% (113/198) and 62.12% (123/198)] (P values were 0.017 and <0.001). The results of generalized estimation equation model suggested that compared to those with less than seven times prenatal care, after adjusting for parity, birth order, place of residence, maternal age, occupation, education, family wealth index, passive smoking, pregnancy-induced hypertension syndrome, folic acid, and iron supplement during perinatal period, and gender of the newborn, the OR (95%CI) of risk of SGA among childbearing aged women with seven or more times prenatal care was 0.60 (0.40-0.91). Conclusion: Seven or more times prenatal care could reduce the risk of SGA among neonatal twins in Shanxi Province.

[Relationship between gH genotyping and clinical characteristics of children with congenital cytomegalovirus infection].

Objective: To study the relationship between human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) envelope glycoprotein gene H and clinical features of children with congenital cytomegalovirus infection. Methods: A cohort study was conducted. Newborns diagnosed with congenital cytomegalovirus infection, hospitalized in the Department of Neonatology and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, were included from July 2013 to December 2015.HCMV-DNA gH typing in urine, sputum or blood was conducted. Patients then were divided into gH1 group and gH2 group according to gH genotypes. Patients' data during hospitalization in newborn and 3-5 years of follow-up were collected.The relationships between gH genotype and clinical manifestations, laboratory examinations, hearing loss and neurological prognosis were analyzed by chi-square test, t test and non-parametric test. Results: A total of 21 cases were enrolled as congenital HCMV infection and followed-up for 3-5 years. Among them, 14 (67%) were gH1 type and 7 (33%) were gH2 type. No mixed infection was found. In the two groups, there were no significant differences in the ratio of males (9/14 vs. 3/7,P=0.397), or birth weight ((2 609±686) vs. (3 021±451) g, t=-1.436, P=0.167). Gestational age of gH1 group was younger than that of gH2 group (38 (29-40) vs. 39(38-40) weeks, Z=-2.18, P=0.029). Moderate to severe hearing loss detected by neonatal auditory brainstem response were found in 40 ears (20 cases). It was higher in gH1 group than that in gH2 group (4/22 vs.0/18, χ(2)=5.145, P=0.023). In the imaging examination of the nervous system, the Alarcon score of gH1 group was lower than that of gH2 group (0.4±0.3 vs. 1.3±1.1, t=-2.459,P=0.024).No significant statistical difference was found in the probability of motor or language development lag in gH2 group and gH1 group (4/7 vs.4/14, P=0.346). Conclusions: Compared with gH2 infection, gH1 infection in children has a younger gestational age. The major type of hearing loss in neonatal period is gH1 infection. Children with gH2 congenital infections are more likely to suffer from nervous systems damage.

Short communication: Genotyping and single nucleotide polymorphism analysis of bovine leukemia virus in Chinese dairy cattle.

Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) causes enzootic leucosis in cattle and is classified into 10 genotypes with a worldwide distribution, except for several European countries, Australia, and New Zealand. Although BLV is widespread in Chinese cows with the positive rate of 49.1% at the individual level, very little is known about the BLV genotype in dairy cattle in China. To determine BLV genetic variability in cows in China, 112 BLV-positive samples from 5 cities in China were used for BLV molecular characterization in this study. Phylogenetic analysis using the neighbor-joining method on partial env sequence encoding gp51 obtained from 5 Chinese cities and those available in GenBank (n = 53, representing BLV genotype 1-10) revealed the Chinese strains belonged to genotype 6. Seven unique SNP were identified among Yancheng, Shanghai, and Bengbu strains out of the total 12 SNP identified in Chinese strains. The genotyping coupled with SNP analysis of BLV can serve as a useful molecular epidemiological tool for tracing the source of pathogens. This study highlights the importance of genetic analysis of geographically diverse BLV strains to understand BLV global genetic diversity.

[Clinical significance of exosomal miR-1231 in pancreatic cancer].

Objective: To investigate the expression and clinical significance of exosomal miR-1231 in plasma of pancreatic cancer (PC) patients and pancreatic cancer cells. Methods: A total of 16 patients who were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in Hunan Cancer Hospital were collected from April 2016 to August 2017. Meanwhile, 16 healthy volunteers were recruited as the healthy control group at the same period. The plasma exosomes were extracted, and the levels of miR-1231 were detected by qRT-PCR in PC and healthy control groups. Moreover, the clinicopathological significance of exosomal miR-1231 expression was analyzed. Furthermore, the expression of exosomal miR-1231 was detected in several pancreatic cancer cells (MIA PaCa-2, PANC-1, SW1990, AsPC-1 and BxPc-3) and two normal pancreatic epithelial cells (HPDE and human primary pancreatic epithelial cell). Results: qRT-PCR results showed that the expression level of miR-1231 in plasma exosomes of pancreatic cancer patients (1.06±0.46) was significantly lower than that in healthy controls (2.30±0.99; P<0.05). The levels of exosomal miR-1231 in patients with stage Ⅰ-Ⅱ (1.515±0.531), no distant metastasis (1.236±0.461) and no lymph node metastasis (1.337±0.522) were significantly higher than those with stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ (0.848±0.224), distant metastasis (0.757±0.278) and lymph node metastasis (0.838±0.261), respectively (P<0.05 for all). In addition, there were no correlation between exosomal miR-1231 expression and age, sex, smoking history, CA19-9 levels and tumor sites (P>0.05). Furthermore, the expression level of exosomal miR-1231 in pancreatic cancer cell lines (0.142±0.135) was significantly lower than that in normal epithelial cells (1.127±0.179; P<0.05). Conclusions: The downregulation of exosomal miR-1231 in plasma of pancreatic cancer patients and pancreatic cancer cells suggests that it is related to the initiation and development of PC. It may be a new diagnostic and prognostic marker for PC.

Helicobacter pylori infection increases the risk of adult-onset asthma: a nationwide cohort study.

Helicobacter pylori infection (HPI) appears to reduce risk of childhood-onset asthma, but the relationship between HPI and adult-onset asthma is inconclusive. This study explored the potential association between HPI and risk of adult-onset asthma. We conducted a national insurance retrospective cohort study using the longitudinal health insurance database (LHID 2000) in Taiwan. We enrolled the HPI group consisting of 1664 patients with HPI diagnosis between 2000 and 2007, and the non-HPI group consisting of 6,656 age- and sex-matched subjects without HPI. All study participants had been followed up from index date to the diagnostic date of asthma, withdrawal from the National Health Insurance program, or the end of 2011, which came first. We analyzed risk of adult-onset asthma with respect to sex, age, and comorbidities by using Cox models. Cigarette smoking status, which could not be obtained from the program, was adjusted indirectly by considering chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases in our statistical models because the disease is related to heavy smoking. After adjustment for sex, age, and comorbidities, HPI was significantly associated with an increased 1.38-fold risk of adult-onset asthma. Moreover, among people without comorbidities, the 1.85-fold risk of adult-onset asthma remained higher for the HPI population compared with the non-HPI population. In this study, patients with HPI exhibited a significantly higher risk of adult-onset asthma than did the subjects without HPI.

Gonorrhea infection increases the risk of prostate cancer in Asian population: a nationwide population-based cohort study.

This nationwide population-based retrospective cohort study evaluated the risk of developing prostate cancer among patients with gonorrhea. We identified cases of newly diagnosed gonorrhea in men between 2000 and 2010 from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. Each patient with gonorrhea was matched to four controls, based on age and index year. All subjects were followed up from the index date to December 31, 2010. The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to assess the risk of prostate cancer. A total of 355 men were included in the study group, and 1,420 age-matched subjects without gonorrhea were included in the control group. After adjusting for age, comorbidities, urbanization level, hospital level, and monthly income, gonorrhea was significantly associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer (adjusted hazard ratio = 5.66, 95% confidence interval = 1.36-23.52). Men aged 45-70 years and those with lower monthly income were more strongly associated with prostate cancer in the study group than the control group. The higher risk for developing prostate cancer were also found in those without syphilis, without genital warts, without diabetes mellitus, without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, without benign prostatic hypertrophy, without chronic prostatitis, and without alcoholism. The Kaplan-Meier analysis showed the risk of prostate cancer was significantly higher in the study group than in the control group. Gonorrhea may be involved in the development of prostate cancer. More intensive screening and prevention interventions for prostate cancer should be recommended in men with gonorrhea.

Characteristics and functions of human cytomegalovirus UL128 gene/protein.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) ORF UL128 protein is highly conserved among viral field isolates and functions in two different molecular forms, monomeric UL128 protein and in a complex with glycoproteins gH, gL, UL130, and UL131A protein. Monomeric UL128 protein works as soluble chemokine analogue to attract peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and selectively induces expression of interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) in PBMCs. The gH/gL/UL128/UL130/UL131A complex is indispensable for entry into both endothelial and epithelial cells. In conclusion, UL128 plays an important role in HCMV infection.

Expression of extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer glycosylation and caveolin-1 in healthy and inflamed human gingiva.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Glycosylated extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN) is specifically associated with caveolin-1 and influences its ability to induce matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) production. This study investigated EMMPRIN glycosylation and caveolin-1 expression in healthy and inflamed human gingival tissues, analyzed the relationship between EMMPRIN glycosylation and caveolin-1 expression, and assessed how this interaction influenced MMP-1 production. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Gingival tissues were collected from 10 healthy subjects and 15 chronic periodontitis (chronic periodontitis) subjects. EMMPRIN, caveolin-1 and MMP-1 expressions were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. EMMPRIN and caveolin-1 co-localization was detected by immunofluorescence. EMMPRIN glycosylation, caveolin-1, active MMP-1 and proMMP-1 expression was assessed by Western blot. RESULTS: EMMPRIN was expressed in gingival epithelial cells, inflammatory cells, endothelial and fibroblast-like cells. Strong caveolin-1 immunoreactivity was detected in gingival epithelial and endothelial cells. Double immunofluorescence studies revealed EMMPRIN and caveolin-1 co-localization in gingival epithelium, endothelial and fibroblast-like cells. Compared with healthy subjects, the chronic periodontitis group had increased high-glycoform EMMPRIN (HG-EMMPRIN) and active MMP-1 expression (p < 0.05). Active MMP-1 and proMMP-1 protein levels were positively correlated with HG-EMMPRIN levels (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: EMMPRIN and caveolin-1 colocalize in periodontal tissues. The increased active MMP-1 and proMMP-1 production may be associated with elevated HG-EMMPRIN levels.

Practising case-based learning in oral medicine for dental students in China.

INTRODUCTION: Teacher-centred education dominates dental education in China. Student-centred education has recently been introduced in the School of Stomatology, Wuhan University, and the effectiveness of such methods needs to be tested. The purpose of this study is to compare the learning outcomes of case-based learning (CBL) and lecture-based education (LBE) in an oral medicine curriculum. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We chose oral leukoplakia as the learning subject for dental students. Forty fourth-year dental students participated in the study. First, they were presented to basic knowledge of oral leukoplakia and related oral mucosal diseases. Then, they were divided into a CBL group (n=20) and an LBE group (n=20) by random numbers. The groups experienced the remaining course in separate groups. All students answered a questionnaire on their satisfaction with the education and the same standardised written test to analyse their learning outcomes. RESULTS: Both CBL and LBE courses were well accepted by students according to the satisfactory scores of the questionnaire. The test scores of the CBL group (90.00±6.69) were significantly higher (P<0.01) than those of the LBE group (83.00±6.77). The percentage of high test score (test score≥85) of the CBL group (85%) was also significantly higher (P<0.01) than that of the LBE group (45%). CONCLUSIONS: In this example, CBL was found to be more effective than LBE to teach dental students. These findings suggest that CBL should be added in our future oral medicine curriculum for dental students.

First Report of Fusarium Wilt of Tobacco Caused by Fusarium kyushuense in China.

Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) is a leafy, annual, solanaceous plant grown commercially for its leaves. China accounts for more than 39.6% of total global tobacco production (3). In May 2012, seedlings of tobacco cv. Honghuadajinyuan in a Guiyang tobacco commercial field (Guizhou, China, 26.35° N, 106.42° E) developed symptoms of severe wilting, chlorosis, and stunting. The main stem and taproot exhibited reddish to light brown vascular discoloration; further progression of these symptoms eventually caused mortality of infected seedlings. To isolate the causal agent, necrotic tissues from the symptomatic root were placed on potato dextrose agar (PDA) and incubated at 25°C in darkness. Colonies with white to rose mycelia and red-brown colony colors developed on PDA after 5 days of incubation. Microconidia were abundant, straight or slightly curved, clavate, 0- to 3-septate, and 7.5 to 20.0 × 2.5 to 5.0 µm. Macroconidia were straight or slightly curved, slender, 3- to 5-septate, and 25.0 to 45.0 × 3.3 to 5.0 µm. Based on the observed colony attributes, growth patterns, absence of chlamydospores, micro- and macro-spore attributes (1), and PCR amplification (using primers ITS1/4) combined with translation elongation factor primers (EF1/2) (2), the fungus was identified as F. kyushuense O'Donnell & T. Aoki. Sequence of ITS1-5.8s-ITS2 region of rDNA (GenBank Accession No. JX235957) exactly matched the sequences of F. kyushuense accession AB587020.1 (100% similarity). Analysis of the elongation factor (EF-1alpha) gene of the fungus (JX658565) resulted in a 99% match for F. kyushuense accession AB674297.1. Pathogenicity of the fungus was confirmed by performing Koch's postulate as follows. Pure cultures of the fungus F. kyushuense obtained from symptomatic tissues of tobacco seedlings were grown on PDA for 6 days. Tobacco plants to be used in pathogenicity tests were germinated and grown on potting soils in a plastic container. Additional fertilization was supplied by adding 0.2 g/L of 20-20-20 (N-P-K) in the float water. When seedlings got 6-leaf stage, they were ready for pathogenicity tests. Spores harvested from these culture plates were suspended in sterile distilled water, adjusted to a concentration of 1 × 104 conidia/ml, and inoculated by irrigating 10 ml of the conidia suspension onto roots of each of the 12 tobacco seedlings with 6-leaf stage. A group of 12 seedlings of the same age treated with sterile water served as control. Inoculated seedlings were maintained at 25°C, 100 µE m-2.s-1, relative humidity >70%, and 16 h light per day, and monitored for 9 days for symptom development. Seedlings inoculated with conidia developed disease symptoms with roots with vascular discoloration of roots whereas control seedlings remained symptomless. F. kyushuense was reisolated from the symptomatic seedlings 9 days after inoculation. F. kyushuense has also been isolated from rice seeds in China (4), and from diseased wheat in Japan (1). The common tobacco Fusarium disease reported in China was caused by F. oxysporium f. sp. nicotianae. However, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of F. kyushuense causing wilt on tobacco in China and the disease must be considered in existing disease management practices. References: (1) T. Aoki and K. O'Donnell. Mycoscience. 39:1, 1998. (2) D. M. Geiser et al. Eur. J. Plant Pathol. 110:473, 2004. (3) US Census Bureau. Foreign Trade Statistics. Washington DC, 2005. (4) Z. H. Zhao and G. Z. Lu. Mycotaxon. 102:119, 2007.

Temporal expression of metalloproteinase-8 and -13 and their relationships with extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer in the development of ligature-induced periodontitis in rats.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play important roles in extracellular matrix degradation and may be regulated by extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN). The aim of this study was to investigate the temporal expression and localization of MMP-8 and MMP-13 during the development of ligature-induced periodontitis in rats, and to analyze the correlations of EMMPRIN with MMP-8 and MMP-13 in periodontitis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Periodontitis was simulated in rats by ligaturing the cervix of the lower first molars, as described in our previous method. The rats were killed 0, 3, 5, 7, 11, 15 and 21 d after ligation. Micro-computed tomography examinations were performed to detect alveolar bone loss. Semiquantitative western blotting was used to assess the temporal changes in the levels of MMP-8, MMP-13 and EMMPRIN proteins in gingival tissue. Immunohistochemistry was applied to detect the expression and locations of MMP-8 and MMP-13 in gingival tissue and alveolar bone. RESULTS: Alveolar bone loss showed an exponential increase from days 3 to 11, followed by a slower rate of loss at subsequent study time points. MMP-8 showed a rapid increase of expression from baseline to a peak on day 3, a gradual decrease from days 5 to 7 and then stabilized thereafter. MMP-8 was predominantly located in neutrophil-like cells. Statistically, the expression of MMP-8 was not correlated with the expression of EMMPRIN. The expression of MMP-13 and of EMMRPIN increased from days 3 to 7, and showed a moderate decrease thereafter. The immunoreactivity of MMP-13 was mainly detected in monocytes/macrophages, on the alveolar bone surface, in osteoclasts and in gingival epithelial cells. Statistically, MMP-13 had a strong, positive correlation with EMMPRIN (r = 0.855, p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The levels of expression of MMP-8 and MMP-13 are temporally varied at different periods during the development of experimental periodontitis. The level of expression of EMMPRIN is closely associated with the expression of MMP-13, but not with the expression of MMP-8. In addition, MMP-13 might be involved in alveolar bone destruction, as well as in physiological bone remodeling.

DNA repair contributes to the drug-resistant phenotype of primary acute myeloid leukaemia cells with FLT3 internal tandem duplications and is reversed by the FLT3 inhibitor PKC412.

The presence of internal tandem duplications (ITD) mutations in the FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) receptor influences the risk of relapse in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). We have investigated DNA repair in FLT3-ITD and wild-type (WT) cells. Using the comet assay, we have demonstrated that the FLT3 inhibitor PKC412 significantly inhibits repair of DNA damage in the MV4-11-FLT3-ITD cell line and FLT3-ITD patient samples but not in the HL-60-FLT3-WT cell line or FLT3-WT patient samples. Following the discovery that transcript levels of the DNA repair gene RAD51 are significantly correlated with FLT3 transcript levels in FLT3-ITD patients, we further investigated the role of RAD51 in FLT3-ITD-AML. The reduction in DNA repair in PKC412-treated FLT3-ITD cells was shown to be associated with downregulation of RAD51 mRNA and protein expression and correlates with the maintenance of phosphorylated H2AX levels, implying that PKC412 inhibits the homologous recombination double-strand break repair pathway in FLT3-ITD cells. Using FLT3-short interfering RNA (siRNA), we also demonstrated that genetic silencing of FLT3 results in RAD51 downregulation in FLT3-ITD cells but not in FLT3-WT cells. This work suggests that the use of FLT3 inhibitors such as PKC412 may reverse the drug-resistant phenotype of FLT3-ITD-AML cells by inhibiting repair of chemotherapy-induced genotoxic damage and thereby reduce the risk of disease relapse.

Proteomics for the early detection and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

The prognosis for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is poor and has not improved in recent years, largely owing to lack of early diagnosis, frequent recurrence after surgery and resistance to chemotherapy. Proteomics holds the promise of improving our understanding of HCC carcinogenesis and progression as well as of discovering novel diagnostics and therapeutics. Proteomic analyses of HCC cell lines, animal models and serum and tumor tissue from patients with HCC have been performed to date. Proteomic technologies have greatly improved in the past few years as reviewed here. It is anticipated that with the recent development of protein tagging, protein separation methods and mass spectrometry sensitivity, proteomic studies of HCC will allow the identification of diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers as well as therapeutic targets, which could greatly improve the clinical management of HCC patients.

Determination of the six major human herpesviruses in cerebrospinal fluid and blood specimens of children.

AIM: To detect and differentiate six major human herpesviruses in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood of children by polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). METHODS: We synthesized two pairs of primers in the well-conserved regions of the DNA polymerase gene in human herpesviruses. One pair was designed to amplify cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2), and the other pair to amplify varicella-zoster virus (VZV) and human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) by PCR. Virus species identification was achieved by restriction enzyme digestion with BamHI and BstUI. Ninety-eight CSF and 75 blood specimens were analysed by this technique. At the same time, all blood specimens were also examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: Thirteen (13.3%) of 98 CSF specimens and 26 (34.7%) of 75 blood specimens were positive for herpesvirus DNA in this PCR assay. Only 10 (13.3%) of the blood specimens were positive in ELISA for virus-IgM antibody. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of PCR in detecting herpesvirus infections compared with ELISA were 100% (10/10), 75.4% (49/65), 38.5% (10/26) and 100% (49/49), respectively. These results indicate that the positive rate of PCR was significantly higher than that of ELISA (p < 0.05). The herpesvirus type of these positive specimens was rapidly detected using restriction enzyme digestion with BamHI and BstUI. CONCLUSIONS: PCR-RFLP is a specific, sensitive and accurate technique for the identification of herpesvirus infections in the CSF and blood of children.

[Determination of copper, zinc, calcium, magnesium and iron microelements in whole blood samples from human's ear using microsample-injection FAAS].

This paper established a new and convenient method for the determination of Cu, Zn, Ca, Mg and Fe microelements content in whole blood samples from human's ear by using flame AAS with microsample injection. The results show that recoveries of these microelements are above 96.0% and relative standard deviation of Zn, Ca, Mg and Fe are less than 2.0%, Cu is less than 3.9%. Satisfactory results are obtained with only 10 microL whole blood samples from human's ear.

Flame atomic absorption spectrometric determination of copper, zinc, calcium, magnesium and iron in fresh eggs using microvolume injection.

The flame atomic absorption spectrometric determination of copper, zinc, calcium, magnesium and iron in fresh eggs using a microvolume injection technique is described. The capillary tube and glass impact bead were removed from the nebulizer and a polypropylene tube was installed in the inlet of the capillary tube of the nebulizer as the interface for microvolume injection. The injection volume was 10 mul and calibration was carried out using aqueous standards. Beer's law was obeyed in the concentration ranges of 0.1-1.5, 0.1-3.0, 0.2-4.0, 0.5-4.0 and 1.0-6.0 mg 1(-1) for Cu, Zn, Ca, Mg and Fe, respectively, and the detection limits were 0.016, 0.016, 0.035, 0.010 and 0.10 mg 1(-1), respectively. The reliability of the measurements was confirmed by analyzing a certified reference material, GBW 08551 Pork Liver. The precision was 2.6, 2.9, 3.0, 1.3 and 2.5% for Cu, Zn, Ca, Mg and Fe, respectively. The recovery with the standard additions method was good, ranging from 96.2 to 100.0%.