[Clinical analysis of two cases of imported children Zika virus infection in China].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical characteristics, outcome and diagnosis of two cases of imported children Zika virus infection in China. METHOD: A retrospective analysis was performed on clinical characteristics, treatment and outcome of two cases of imported children with Zika virus infection in February 2016 in Enping People's Hospital of Guangdong. RESULT: Two cases of children with imported Zika virus infection resided in an affected area of Venezuela, 8-year-old girl and her 6 year-old brother. The main findings on physical examination included the following manifestations: fever, rash, and conjunctivitis. The rash was first limited to the abdomen, but extended to the torso, neck and face, and faded after 3-4 d. The total number of white blood cells was not high and liver function was normal. The diagnosis of two cases of Zika virus infection was confirmed by the expert group of Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, according to the epidemiological history, clinical manifestations and Zika virus nucleic acid detection results.Treatment of Zika virus infection involves supportive care. Two Zika virus infection children had a relatively benign outcome. CONCLUSION: At present, Zika virus infection in children is an imported disease in China. No specific therapy is available for this disease. Information on long-term outcomes among infants and children with Zika virus disease is limited, routine pediatric care is advised for these infants and children.

Identification of polymorphisms and transcriptional activity of the proto-oncogene KIT located on both autosomal and B chromosomes of the Chinese raccoon dog.

B chromosomes are dispensable and co-exist with autosomal and sex chromosomes. The karyotype of the Chinese raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides procyonoides) comprises 0-4 B chromosomes. The proto-oncogene KIT is found on all B chromosomes of the Chinese raccoon dog. In the present study, partial DNA and mRNA sequences of KIT were amplified and sequenced from four individuals containing B chromosomes. Sequence analyses revealed that polymorphisms including single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and inserts/deletions were rich in the KIT gene of Chinese raccoon dog at the genomic level. However, no polymorphism was detected at the mRNA level. A comparison of mRNA sequences from Chinese raccoon dogs with the corresponding sequences derived from arctic fox and dog, which do not contain B chromosomes, revealed the mRNA sequences of the 10 SNPs to be identical between these three species. Therefore, these findings suggest that KIT located on the B chromosomes in Chinese raccoon dog lacks transcriptional activity.

Isolation and characterization of a chalcone isomerase gene promoter from potato cultivars.

Chalcone isomerase (CHI) is a key enzyme involved in anthocyanin metabolism. Previous research on CHI has mainly focused on cDNA cloning and gene expression. In the current study, the 1425-bp potato CHI promoter (PCP) was isolated from four potato cultivars (Heijingang, Zhongshu 7, Désirée, and Favorita) using PCR and DNA sequencing. The PCP contained many cis-regulatory elements (CREs) related to anthocyanin metabolism, tissue specificity, light response, stress, and hormone induction. Of the PCP CREs identified, 19 were common to those found in the higher plants examined, based on plant CRE databases. Multiple sequence alignment showed six single nucleotide variation sites in PCP among the potato cultivars examined, resulting in changes in the number of CREs connected with tissue specificity, anthocyanin metabolism, and light response. The 665-bp PCP fragments from Favorita and 1425-bp PCP fragments from Heijingang were used to construct plant expression vectors, which may be a useful tool for biological engineering. A transient expression assay demonstrated that the two PCP fragments from Heijingang could direct the expression of a green fluorescent protein gene in onion epidermis and a ß-glucuronidase gene in all potato tuber tissues with different colors, suggesting that the single nucleotide variation in the PCP did not affect its activity, and that silencing of the CHI gene in Favorita may be attributed to other regulatory factors.