[Analysis of severe acute respiratory syndrome in Beijing].

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical, laboratory, and radiologic features of 34 cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in Beijing. METHODS: All patients were admitted to the isolation wards. Their demographic, clinical, laboratory, and radiologic characteristics were analyzed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. RESULTS: Eight patients came from a family, and 15 patients were medical staff. The mean age of patients was (33.4 +/- 13.4) years. The latent period varied from 2 to 14 days (median 4 days). The most common symptoms were fever (100%), palpitation (91.7%), myalgia (79.2%), headache (70.8%), diarrhea (73.9%) and cough (58.3%). The mean leucocyte count was (4.6 +/- 1.4) x 10(9)/L, and the mean lymphocyte ratio was 0.27 +/- 0.11. 68.4% of the patients had lymphopenia (absolute lymphocyte count < 1.3 x 10(9)/L). Other common findings included elevated levels of serum alanine aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase and erythrocyte sedimentation (76.2%, 28.6% and 47.8%, respectively), and decreased levels of serum iron and albumin (63.2% and 47.8%, respectively). Thirty-two cases had abnormal chest radiographs. In 2 cases in whom typical lung opacities could not be found on the initial plain chest radiographs, thoracic CT proved to be useful. Postmortem examination of 1 patient revealed marked edema with foci of hemorrhage and hyaline membrane formation in the lungs, hemorrhage necrosis and a obvious decline of cells in lymph glands. In a multivariate analysis (Stata 7.0), the independent predictor of an adverse outcome was advanced age (odds ratio per decade of life, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.08 to 2.63; P = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS: Fever, lymphopenia, low serum iron and chest radiograph are helpful to diagnose SARS early; age is the independent predictor of an outcome.

[Comparative study on antibacterial effects of huangqin-tang and its metabolites produced by intestinal flora].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the antibacterial effects of Huangqin-Tang with its metabolites produced by intestinal flora. METHOD: The antibacterial tests in vitro and in vivo were performed by agar dilution method and lethal protection of animal respectively. RESULT: Huangqin-Tang and its metabolites had antibacterial action on bacteria in vitro, however the antibacterial activity of metabolites of Huangqin-Tang on Salmomella, Dysentery bacillus and Proteus in vitro was stronger than Huangqin-Tang. The metabolites of Huangqin-Tang had protective effect on the animals infected by Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli respectively from death, but Huangqin-Tang had no lethal protection action. CONCLUSION: The antibacterial effects of metabolites of Huangqin-Tang in vitro and in vivo are stronger than that of Huangqin-Tang, which shows that intestinal flora play a very important role in antibacterial effects of Huangqin-Tang.

[A comparison of the protective activity of liver injury induced by D-galact-osamine between huangqin-tang and their metabolites by human intestinal bacteria].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the protective activity of liver injury induced by D-galactosamine (GalN) between Huangqin-Tang and their metabolites by human intestinal bacteria(HIB). METHOD: The liver injuries in conventional and pseudo-germfree mice were induced by GalN. After oral administration of Huangqin-Tang and their metabolites mixtures by HIB, the serum transaminase (ALT and AST) activities were detected. RESULT: In conventional mice, large and medium doses (20 and 10 g.kg-1) of Huangqin-Tang decoction significantly reduced the increase of serum ALT activity after 18 h GalN treatment. In pseudo-germfree mice, metabolites significantly reduced the ALT levels. However, Huangqing-Tang didn't affect the ALT levels in this kind of mice. To all of the animals, AST levels remained the same after oral Huangqin-tang or their metabolites. CONCLUSION: The metabolism by intestinal bacteria plays a role in pharmacological effects of constituents of Chinese herbal medicine. The metabolites of the constituents by intestinal bacteria were the real active components in vivo.

Transport properties of dense deuterium-tritium plasmas.

Consistent descriptions of the equation of states and information about the transport coefficients of the deuterium-tritium mixture are demonstrated through quantum molecular dynamic (QMD) simulations (up to a density of 600 g/cm(3) and a temperature of 10(4) eV). Diffusion coefficients and viscosity are compared to the one-component plasma model in different regimes from the strong coupled to the kinetic one. Electronic and radiative transport coefficients, which are compared to models currently used in hydrodynamic simulations of inertial confinement fusion, are evaluated up to 800 eV. The Lorentz number is discussed from the highly degenerate to the intermediate region. One-dimensional hydrodynamic simulation results indicate that different temperature and density distributions are observed during the target implosion process by using the Spitzer model and ab initio transport coefficients.

[Peripheral NK and NKT cell in pediatric subjects with chronic HBV infection].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the characteristic of NK cells and NKT cells in HBV infected pediatric subjects for evaluation of their clinical implication. METHODS: Fresh peripheral blood samples were obtained from 42 HBV-infected pediatric cases and 15 healthy counterparts. NK cells and NKT cells were analyzed by flow cytometry assay. The clinical data such as serum ALT level and HBV viral load was simultaneously recorded from each HBV carrier. RESULTS: HBV-infected children had an obviously increasing percentage of NK cells 12.071% +/- 7.100%, there were significant differences between the children with chronic B hepatitis and the healthy children (P <0.05). As far as percentage of NKT 3.048% +/- 1.937% was concerned, there were not differences. Furthermore the association was not found between serum HBV viral load level and the NK lymphocyte. CONCLUSION: Our data may provide valuable information of NK and NKT lymphocyte for evaluation of disease progression of HBV infected children NKI cells.

Metabolism of constituents in Huangqin-Tang, a prescription in traditional Chinese medicine, by human intestinal flora.

In the course of studies on the metabolism of active components of Huangqin-Tang by human intestinal flora (HIF), Huangqin-Tang and all individual herbs in the decoctions were incubated with a human fecal suspension separately. By using a high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method which was previously established in our laboratory, the metabolites in both the compound prescription and all the single herb decoctions were identified and determined both qualitatively and quantitatively. We found that the constituents of Huangqin-Tang, incluing baicalin (baicalein 7-glucuronide; BG), wogonoside (wogoninoglucuronide; WG), oroxylin-A-glucuronide (OG) from Scutellariae Radix, paeoniflorin (PF) from Paeoniae Radix, liquiritin (liquiritigenin 4'-O-glucoside; LG), isoliquirtin (isoliquiritigenin 4-glucoside; ILG) and glycyrrhizic acid (GL) from Glycyhhizea Radix, were converted to their metabolites baicalein (B), wogonin (W), oroxylin-A (O), paeonimetabolin-I (PM-I), liquiritigenin (L), isoliquiritigenin (IL) and glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) by HIF. The contents of the metabolites in Huangqin-Tang and in each single herb decoction increased significantly after incubation with intestinal flora. Comparing with single herb decoctions, the transformation of BG, WG, OG, LG and ILG in the compound prescription was promoted, however, that of PF and GL was inhibited. All the results suggested that the glycosides of many medicinal herbs could be converted to aglycones by HIF, and the metabolism of most glycosides was improved in the compound prescription.