[Epidemiological characteristics of public health emergency events of varicella in China, 2006-2021].

Objective: To understand the epidemiological characteristics of public health emergency events (PHEE) of varicella in China from 2006 to 2021 and related response performances. Methods: The data of varicella PHEE in 31 provinces of China from 2006 to 2021 were collected through the Public Health Emergency Management Information System, Microsoft Excel 2019 software and SPSS 26.0 statistical software were used to conduct descriptive epidemiological, statistical analysis on the time, area, location distribution, scale and epidemic management. Results: A total of 11 443 PHEE involving 341 048 related cases were reported from 2006 to 2021, with an annual attack rate of 1.78%-3.80% and a total attack rate of 2.33% (341 048/14 624 042). The number of PHEE and related cases of varicella decreased from 1 107 (35 349) in 2007 to 262 (6 884) in 2012 (Z=-2.40, P<0.001), then increased year by year to 1 318 (42 649) in 2019 (Z=2.58, P<0.001), with a significant decline since 2020. The varicella PHEE in China presents the seasonal characteristics,the peak is from April to June and from October to December, respectively. The sub-peak of varicella PHEE in eastern China generally appears 1-2 months earlier than in central and western China. Varicella PHEE reports are mainly distributed in eastern China, the attack rate is relatively high in western China, school-reported varicella PHEE was 88.26% of the total reports (10 099/11 443). The epidemic scale of varrcella PHEE typically range from 10 to 29 cases per year among the given outbreaks. The M (Q1, Q3) of average number of cases, average duration, and average reporting interval of PHEE were 23 (16,35), 20 (14, 26) days, and 9 (5,19) days, respectively, and the reporting interval was positively correlated with the duration (r=0.854, P<0.001). Conclusions: The varicella PHEE in China from 2006 to 2021 has not been effectively controlled. Schools are the key places to prevent and control varicella PHEE. Improving the sensitivity of varicella PHEE monitoring, strengthening the timely disposal of varicella epidemic, and promoting varicella vaccination are effective measures to prevent and control varicella PHEE.

[Pathological features related to onco-immunity and their clinical significance of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma].

Objective: To investigate the tumor immunity-related pathologic features and clinical significance in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Methods: All pathologic materials and clinical information of 192 PDAC patients from the Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences from January 2010 to December 2020 were collected. The onco-immune microenvironment associated morphologic features were evaluated, and MHC-Ⅰ, PD-L1, CD3, and CD8 expression were detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Then the correlation between the factors and their influence on prognosis was analyzed. Results: There were 163 cases of non-specific adenocarcinoma (163/192, 84.90%), 18 cases of adeno-squamous carcinoma (18/192, 9.37%), and 11 cases of other rare subtypes (11/192, 5.73%). Perineural invasion was observed in 110 cases (110/192, 57.29%) and vascular invasion in 86 cases (86/192, 44.79%). There were 84 cases (84/182, 46.15%) with severe chronic inflammation. Tumor infiltrating immune cell numbers (TII-N) were increased in 52 cases (52/192, 27.08%). Lymphocytes and plasma cells were the main infiltrating immune cells in 60 cases (60/192, 31.25%), whereas in 34 cases (34/192, 17.71%) the tumors were mainly infiltrated by granulocytes, and 98 cases (98/192, 51.04%) showed mixed infiltration. CD3+T cells were deficient in 124 cases (124/192, 66.31%). CD8+T cells were deficient in 152 cases (152/192, 79.58%). MHC-Ⅰ expression was down-regulated in 156 cases (156/192, 81.25%), and PD-L1 was positive (CPS≥1) in 46 cases (46/192, 23.96%). Statistical analysis showed that TII-N was negatively correlated with vascular invasion (P=0.035), perineural invasion (P=0.002), stage (P=0.004) and long-term alcohol consumption (P=0.039). The type of immune cells correlated positively with chronic pancreatic inflammation (P=0.002), and negatively with tumor differentiation (P=0.024). CD8+T cells were positively correlated with CD3+T cells (P=0.032), MHC-Ⅰ expression (P<0.001) and PD-L1 expression (P=0.001), and negatively correlated with long-term smoking (P=0.016). Univariate analysis showed that histological nonspecific type (P=0.013) and TII-N (P<0.001) were the factors for good prognosis. Vascular invasion (P=0.032), perineural invasion (P=0.001), high stage (P=0.003) and long-term alcohol consumption (P=0.004) were adverse prognostic factors. COX multivariate risk analysis found that TII-N was an independent favorable factor for PDAC, while perineural invasion was an independent adverse risk factor. Conclusions: TII-N is an independent superior prognostic factor for PDAC, and significantly correlated with many factors; chronic alcohol consumption and smoking may inhibit onco-immunity in PDAC patients.

Up-regulation of SNHG15 facilitates cell proliferation, migration, invasion and suppresses cell apoptosis in breast cancer by regulating miR-411-5p/VASP axis.

OBJECTIVE: Breast cancer (BC) is an intractable cancer with a rising incidence. Small nucleolar RNA host gene 15 (SNHG15) is a novel biomarker of multiple cancers. However, the molecular mechanism of SNHG15 during oncogenesis of BC is still poorly understood. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Expression of SNHG15, microRNA (miR)-411-5p and vasodilator stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) was measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Cell proliferation was evaluated by colony formation and 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Cell apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry and caspase-3 activity assay. Cell migration and invasion were examined by transwell assay. The interaction between miR-411-5p and SNHG15 or VASP was validated by dual-luciferase reporter assay. Protein expression of VASP, B cell lymphoma (Bcl-2), Bcl-2 associated X (Bax), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-9, MMP-14) was measured by Western blot. Xenograft mice were established by subcutaneously injecting SKBR-3 cells transfected with sh-SNHG15 and sh-NC. RESULTS: SNHG15 and VASP were over-expressed whereas miR-411-5p was low-expressed in BC tumors and cells compared with the normal counterparts. Next, SNHG15 knockdown attenuated cell proliferation, migration, invasion and stimulated cell apoptosis in BC. In addition, SNHG15 acted as a sponge while VASP acted as a target of miR-411-5p. Rescue experiment revealed that miR-411-5p inhibitor could alleviate SNHG15 silencing-induced inhibitive effects on cell proliferation, migration, invasion and promotive effects on cell apoptosis. Similarly, VASP attenuated the regulatory effects of SNHG15 silencing on BC cell progression. Furthermore, SNHG15 elimination hindered tumor growth in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: SNHG15 contributes to BC cell progression by sponging miR-411-5p and enhancing VASP expression, providing essential biomarkers for BC therapy.

Influence of lncRNA HOTAIR on acute kidney injury in sepsis rats through regulating miR-34a/Bcl-2 pathway.

OBJECTIVE: To study the regulatory effect of long non-coding ribonucleic acid (lncRNA) HOX transcript antisense RNA (HOTAIR) on acute kidney injury (AKI) in sepsis rats and its regulatory mechanism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The sepsis-induced AKI model was established in Sprague-Dawley (SD) male rats through cecal ligation puncture. A total of 30 SD rats were randomly divided into the control group, model group and lncRNA HOTAIR mimic group, with 10 rats in each group. Relative levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) in kidney tissues were detected via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Apoptosis of kidney tissues was detected via terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining. Moreover, the target gene of miR-34a was searched using the miRNA online database. The messenger RNA (mRNA) expression levels of miR-34a and B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) were detected via Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS: Compared with those in the control group, the rats in the model group showed injured pathological morphology of kidney, elevated contents of TNF-α and IL-1ß, and apoptosis in kidney tissues. The target gene of miR-34a was Bcl-2, according to the miRNA online database. MiR-34a level in kidney tissues was upregulated, while the mRNA level of Bcl-2 significantly decreased in the model group. Compared with those in the model group, the pathological morphology of kidney tissues was improved, the content of TNF-α and IL-1ß markedly declined, and the apoptotic rate of kidney tissues also reduced in lncRNA HOTAIR mimic group. The miR-34a level in kidney tissues decreased, while the Bcl-2 mRNA level remarkably increased in lncRNA HOTAIR mimic group. CONCLUSIONS: LncRNA HOTAIR overexpression can alleviate AKI in sepsis rats by inhibiting the apoptosis of kidney tissues by downregulating the miR-34a/Bcl-2 signaling pathway.

[A clinical analysis of 10 cases with cardiac lymphoma].

Objective: To analyze the morbidity, clinical characteristics, therapeutic outcomes and prognosis of cardiac lymphoma. Methods: Individual patient data were obtained from pathology defined 10 cases of cardiac lymphoma from Jan 2000 to Jun 2016. The patient's general information, clinical manifestation, pathological diagnosis, laboratory examination, cardiac involvement feature, cardiac complications, treatment, therapeutic effect and prognosis were analyzed. Results: Of 3 918 cases of lymphoma patients, 10 cases of cardiac involvement were identified, including primary cardiac lymphoma (PCL) in 1 case, secondary cardiac lymphoma (SCL) in 9 cases. Of the 10 patients in our analysis, the male-to-female ratio was 3∶2, with a median age of 55 (19-88) years old. The most presenting complaints were dyspnea in 7 cases, followed by chest pain in 5 cases, fatigue in 2 patients and edema in 2 cases. Pathological types included diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in 7 cases, T cell lymphoma (T-LBL) in 1 case, Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) in 1 case, and Burkitt lymphoma (BL) in 1 case. The sites of the heart affected by lymphoma in the PCL patient were right and left atriums with multiple nodules; and for SCL, the sites were mainly pericardium associated with a pericardial effusion in 5 cases, a pericardial mass in 2 cases. Congestive heart failure affects 7 patients and cardiac arrhythmias were identified in 4 cases mainly sinus tachycardia, atrial fibrillation and atrioventricular block. Except one untreated because of old age and poor performance, the rest of 9 patients were treated by either chemotherapy in 4 cases or chemotherapy combined radiotherapy (including the extracardiac sites) in 5 patients. With the median follow-up of 9 months, the one PCL patient achieved partial response (PR) , progress free survival (PFS) for 6 months and the overall survival (OS) for 21 months; in the cohort of 6 SCL patients cardiac involved at diagnosis, complete response (CR) was achieved in 1 case (16.7%) , PR in 3 cases, progressing disease (PD) in 2 cases, with the median PFS for 5 months and the median OS for 19 months; and for the other 3 SCL patients cardiac involved at progression, PR was achieved in 2 case and death in 1 case, with the median PFS for 4 months and the median OS unavailable because of censored data. Conclusion: Cardiac lymphoma represents a rare subset of lymphoma, the most common type is DLBCL, and the main clinical manifestations are dyspnea and chest pain, always combined by arrhythmia and congestive heart failure. The main therapeutic regimen for cardiac lymphoma includes combined chemotherapy and the prognosis for patients with either PCL or SCL is usually poor.

The approach of retroperitoneal laparoscopic partial dissection of adipose renal capsule plus ligation of renal pedicle lymphatic vessels to the treatment of chyluria.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical effect of two surgical methods of treating chyluria, namely, retroperitoneal laparoscopic partial dissection of adipose renal capsule plus ligation of renal pedicle lymphatic vessels and retroperitoneal laparoscopic complete dissection of adipose renal capsule plus ligation of renal pedicle lymphatic vessels. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty-eight cases have been divided into A and B groups. Retroperitoneal laparoscopic partial dissection of adipose renal capsule plus ligation of renal pedicle lymphatic vessels has been performed on Group A patients and retroperitoneal laparoscopic complete dissection of adipose renal capsule plus ligation of renal pedicle lymphatic vessels has been performed on Group B cases, and then their respective clinical efficacy has been compared. RESULTS: All the operations for the 38 cases were successful. The average operation time for Group A was 76.35 ± 23.11 min, and that for Group B was 97.35 ± 16.20 min. The average post-operative length of stay for Group A was 5.43 ± 1.21 days, and that for Group B was 7.22 ± 1.34 days. No complications were found in both groups, and all cases were tested negative for chyluria when discharged. No recurrences were reported. CONCLUSIONS: Retroperitoneal laparoscopic ligation of renal pedicle lymphatic vessels is a reliable method of treating chyluria. Compared with complete dissection of adipose renal capsule plus ligation of renal lymphatic vessels, partial dissection of adipose renal capsule plus ligation of renal pedicle lymphatic vessels boasts the advantages of shorter operation time, less bleeding, shorter term of hospitalization, and no renal pedicle torsion.

Characteristics of strong ground motions in the 2014 Ms 6.5 Ludian earthquake, Yunnan, China.

The 2014 Ms 6.5 (Mw6.1) Ludian earthquake occurred in the eastern Sichuan-Yunnan border region of western China. This earthquake caused much more severe engineering damage than the usual earthquakes with the same magnitude in China. The National Strong Motion Network obtained large set of ground motion recordings during the earthquake. To investigate the engineering interested characteristics of ground motion from Ludian earthquake and compare it with the Mw 7.9 Wenchuan and the Mw 6.6 Lushan earthquakes in western China, studies on the ground motion field, attenuation relationship, distance dependence of significant duration, and site amplification were carried out. Some conclusion is drawn. Specifically, the ground motion field reveals a directional feature, and the distribution characteristics of the two horizontal components are similar. The attenuation relationship for Ludian earthquake is basically consistent with the ground motion prediction equation (GMPE) for western China, except the slight smaller than the GMPE predicted at short periods. The distance dependences of ground motion duration are different in Sichuan and Yunnan regions due to the local physical dispersion and Q value. The site amplification factors are dominated by linear site response for lower reference ground motion, but the nonlinearity becomes notable for higher reference ground motion. This feature is basically consistent with the empirical model for western China. All the results indicate that the spatial distribution of ground motion, the attenuation characteristics, and the site amplification effect should be considered in characterization of near-field ground motion.

Effect of dietary supplementation with glycitein during late pregnancy and lactation on antioxidative indices and performance of primiparous sows.

The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with glycitein, a major soy isoflavone, during late pregnancy (starting on d 85) and lactation on antioxidative indices and performance in primiparous sows. A total of 227 gilts (Yorkshire × Landrace) were used, and after parturition, piglets were cross-fostered within treatment so that each sow suckled 10 piglets. Gilts were randomly divided into 4 groups on d 85 of pregnancy and thereafter fed the basal diets of gestation or lactation (controls) or those supplemented with 15, 30, or 45 mg/kg diet glycitein. Reproductive performance of the sows, growth of litters, concentration of plasma glycitein, milk composition, and antioxidative indices in sows' plasma and milk, such as the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), and the content of malondialdehyde (MDA), were measured. Supplementation of the dam's diets with glycitein increased ADG of piglets (linear, P = 0.003) and weaned BW of litters (linear, P = 0.01) and both variables were approximately 10% greater than controls with the 45 mg/kg treatment. The percentage of milk protein was linearly (P < 0.05) increased on d 1 and 7 of lactation, and milk fat content increased on d 7 and 14 (linear, P< 0.05). All other measured indices of performance were unaffected by supplementation with glycitein (P > 0.05). The glycitein concentration in sow's plasma was linearly (P < 0.0001) elevated. During lactation, linear increases occurred in plasma activities of SOD (P < 0.001) and T-AOC (P < 0.05 to P< 0.001), CAT (d 7 to 18 of lactation, P < 0.05) and GSH-Px (d 7 of lactation, P < 0.05), whereas the content of plasma MDA decreased (linear, P < 0.05) throughout lactation with glycitein supplementation. Activities of CAT and T-AOC in milk were not affected by maternal supplementation with glycitein, but increases in SOD on d 18 of lactation (P< 0.001) and GSH-Px in colostrum (P < 0.05) were observed. The content of MDA in milk was decreased (linear, P< 0.05) at all stages of lactation except d 14. Collectively, the results of this study indicate that dietary supplementation with glycitein in sows during late pregnancy and lactation elevated the antioxidative indices, decreased the content of MDA in sow's plasma and milk, improved milk composition, and enhanced the growth performance of the sucking piglets.

Homing of chloromethylbenzoyl ammonia-labeled bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in an immune-mediated bone marrow failure mouse model in vivo.

Aplastic anemia is an abnormal immune reaction disease in which T lymphocytes destroy hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells because of immune hyperactivity. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) have hematopoietic supporting and immune regulation functions. This study investigated BMSCs homing in mice transplantation models after bone marrow failure. BALB/c mice were randomly divided into three groups: normal control, bone marrow failure model, and BMSC transplantation group. Chloromethyl benzamido-labeled BMSCs of BALB/c mice were transplanted through tail vein injection in mouse models with bone marrow failure. Flow cytometry and histological fluorescence microscopy were used to observe the dynamic distribution of labeled cells in different tissues. Average survival time, peripheral blood, and bone marrow morphological features were observed in mice from each group. Twenty-four hours after tail vein infusion of BMSCs, positively labeled cells were observed in the bone marrows of recipient mice, and the number of positive cells increased significantly at 72 h (P < 0.05). In dead or dying mice, white blood cells, hemoglobin, platelets, and bone marrow mononuclear cells were all significantly higher in the BMSC transplantation group than in the BMSCs of the model group (P < 0.01). Mean survival time was significantly shorter in the bone marrow failure model group than in the transplantation group (P < 0.05). These results confirmed that the major of BMSCs injected via tail vein could migrate to injured bone marrow tissues within 24-72 h in a mouse model of bone marrow failure. Furthermore, BMSCs can promote hematopoietic recovery, reduce the degree of bone marrow failure, and significantly prolong survival time.

Dynamic nucleotide mutation gradients and control region usage in squamate reptile mitochondrial genomes.

Gradients of nucleotide bias and substitution rates occur in vertebrate mitochondrial genomes due to the asymmetric nature of the replication process. The evolution of these gradients has previously been studied in detail in primates, but not in other vertebrate groups. From the primate study, the strengths of these gradients are known to evolve in ways that can substantially alter the substitution process, but it is unclear how rapidly they evolve over evolutionary time or how different they may be in different lineages or groups of vertebrates. Given the importance of mitochondrial genomes in phylogenetics and molecular evolutionary research, a better understanding of how asymmetric mitochondrial substitution gradients evolve would contribute key insights into how this gradient evolution may mislead evolutionary inferences, and how it may also be incorporated into new evolutionary models. Most snake mitochondrial genomes have an additional interesting feature, 2 nearly identical control regions, which vary among different species in the extent that they are used as origins of replication. Given the expanded sampling of complete snake genomes currently available, together with 2 additional snakes sequenced in this study, we reexamined gradient strength and CR usage in alethinophidian snakes as well as several lizards that possess dual CRs. Our results suggest that nucleotide substitution gradients (and corresponding nucleotide bias) and CR usage is highly labile over the approximately 200 m.y. of squamate evolution, and demonstrates greater overall variability than previously shown in primates. The evidence for the existence of such gradients, and their ability to evolve rapidly and converge among unrelated species suggests that gradient dynamics could easily mislead phylogenetic and molecular evolutionary inferences, and argues strongly that these dynamics should be incorporated into phylogenetic models.

The contribution of cerebral vascular semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase to cerebral amyloid angiopathy in Alzheimer's disease.

Semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase (SSAO) catalyses the oxidative deamination of a variety of endogenous substrates, such as methylamine and aminoacetone, to produce highly reactive aldehydes, which are capable of inducing protein cross-linkage, beta amyloid (Abeta) aggregation and advanced glycation end-product formation. In the brain, SSAO is exclusively located on the blood vessels. Deposits of Abeta, the hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD), are closely associated with cerebral blood vessels, that is, cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA). In the present study, we examined whether SSAO-mediated deamination contributes to CAA in AD. We employed immunohistochemistry to examine the colocalization of SSAO and Abeta in post mortem brains of AD patients. To assess the role of SSAO-mediated deamination in the deposition of Abeta on blood vessel walls, we developed an in vitro blood vessel model using sections of human umbilical cord. We found a strong expression of SSAO colocalized with Abeta deposits on the blood vessels in AD brains. We also demonstrated that SSAO-mediated deamination increases the deposition of Abeta onto blood vessel walls. Our results support the hypothesis that cerebral vascular SSAO-catalysed deamination contributes to CAA in AD brains.

Effects of neferine on cytosolic free calcium concentration in corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells of rabbits.

To study the relaxation mechanisms of neferine (Nef) on the corpus cavernosum smooth muscle (CCSM), the CCSM cells from New Zealand White rabbits were cultured in vitro. [Ca(2+)](i) was measured by fluorescence ion digital imaging system (FIDIS), using Fluo-2/AM as a Ca(2+)-sensitive fluorescent indicator. Nef (0.1, 1 and 10 micromol l(-1)) had no effect on the resting [Ca(2+)](i) (P > 0.05). In the presence of extracellular Ca(2+) (2.5 mmol l(-1)), Nef (0.1, 1 and 10 micromol l(-1)) inhibited [Ca(2+)](i) elevation induced by high K(+) and phenylephrine (PE) in a concentration-dependent manner (P < 0.05). In calcium free solution containing egtaic acid (EGTA), Nef (0.1 micromol l(-1)) had no inhibitory effects on [Ca(2+)](i) elevation induced by PE (P > 0.05). However, Nef (1 and 10 micromol l(-1)) inhibited [Ca(2+)](i) elevation induced by PE (P < 0.05). These data suggest that Nef inhibited [Ca(2+)](i) in CCSM cells via blocking voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channel, alpha(1)-adrenoceptor-operated Ca(2+) channel and Ca(2+) release from intracellular Ca(2+) pool. This inhibitory action on [Ca(2+)](i) might be one of the relaxation mechanisms of Nef on the CCSM.

Enterobacter bacteremia: Clinical features, risk factors for multiresistance and mortality in a Chinese University Hospital.

BACKGROUND: This study was performed to characterize the clinical features and to identify the risk factors for multiresistance and mortality in patients with Enterobacter bacteremia. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A number of 126 patients with Enterobacter bacteremia in 1995-2004 at the Medical university-affiliated Hospital of Anhui, China were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Of the 126 cases of bacteremia, 81 (64.3%) patients were identified as nosocomial infection. The overall multiresistance rate was 45.2% (57/126). Multiresistance was associated with nosocomial infection, recent invasive procedure, previous third-generation cephalosporins therapy, prolonged perioperative prophylaxis, the species of Enterobacter (E. cloacae) and polymicrobial bacteremia in univariate analysis. In multivariate analysis, previous third-generation cephalosporins therapy (OR = 13.6, p = 0.007) and prolonged perioperative prophylaxis (OR = 6.4, p = 0.029) were the strong, independent risk factors for the multiresistance. The crude 30-day mortality rate was 39.7% (50/126). Mortality directly attributed to Enterobacter spp. was 32.5% (41/126), which was significantly associated with multiresistance, nosocomial infection, recent invasive procedure, and inadequately empirical therapy in univariate analysis. Multivariate analysis revealed that only nosocomial infection (OR = 3.292, p = 0.049) was independently associated with mortality. The survival curve showed that the inappropriate initial therapy group had a lower probability of survival than the appropriate therapy group in infection-related mortality (Log Rank, p = 0.0142). CONCLUSION: Enterobacter is becoming increasingly important nosocomial pathogens. Nosocomial infection is a clinical risk factor tightly associated with multiresistance and worse outcome. More judicious use of third-generation cephalosporins may decrease the incidence of nosocomial multiresistant Enterobacter spp. in China.

[Enantiomeric separations of 1-1,2,4-triazole compounds by micro-high performance liquid chromatography].

The enantiomeric separations of sixteen novel 1-1,2,4-triazole chiral compounds were investigated by micro-HPLC with a 200 mm x 100 microns i.d. capillary chiral OD column. The detection was performed at 223 nm. The mobile phase was a mixture of iso-propyl alcohol and n-hexane(20:80, V/V) at a flow rate of 30 microL/min and column head pressure of 6.9 MPa. Some of the enantiomers could be separated on baseline. In comparing with the separation results by the conventional HPLC method, the micro-HPLC method had the advantages of high-speed, economy, environmental friendliness etc. The effect of solute structure on enantio-selectivity was investigated and the chiral recognition mechanism was also discussed. It was found that the main separation mechanisms involve the pi-pi association and inclusion between the substituent R and the spiral pocket of OD-CSP.

[Cloning and identification of an unknown gene encoding 10.6 kDa protein of Schistosoma japonicum].

OBJECTIVE: To screen a new schistosome vaccine candidate. METHODS: Schistosoma japonicum adult cDNA library was screened using sera from immune rabbits vaccinated with irradiated cercariae and monoclonal antibodies against membrane antigen of S. japonicum schistosomula. Three different fragments of S. japonicum cDNA genes were cloned into pGEM-T vector. The sequences of the inserts were determined using an automatic DNA sequencer and were analysed using Blast program. One of the unknown genes (B8) was selected and its ORF sequence (291 bp) was subcloned into eukaryotic expression vector. The recombinant plasmids were identified by restrictive enzymes and PCR amplification. The positive recombinant plasmids (pBK/SjB8) were transformed into host bacteria XL1-blue, and were then induced by IPTG for expression. SDS-PAGE and Western blotting analysis of total cellular protein from the bacteria were performed to detect the gene products. RESULTS: The results demonstrated that ORF of SjB8 gene was subcloned into the plasmid pBK-CMV and could express as fusion protein in XL1-blue. The results of SDS-PAGE and Western-blot also showed that the molecular weight of the fusion protein with 3 kDa beta-galactosidase was approximately 13.6 kDa and the actual molecular weights of the SjB8 was 10.6 kDa. The expressed fusion product of pBK/Sj-B8 could be recognized by immune serum and McAb. CONCLUSION: A new gene of S. japonicum vaccine candidate (SjB8) was cloned into eukaryotic expression vector pBK-CMV and could express 10.6 kDa schistosome protein. The results provide foundation for further study of the protein for its possibility as candidate vaccine.

Biomechanical evaluation of cervical spine instability after multiple level laminectomy.

Four fresh human cervical spine specimens (C2-T1) were tested both intact and with C5-C6 laminectomies to evaluate the biomechanical effects of multiple level laminectomy. The loads applied to the specimens were physiological and clinically relevant motion patterns were simulated. The results showed that C5 vertical displacements increased by 83.33% in axial compression, 168.75% in flexion, 106.09% in extension, and 35.14% in left bending after C5-C6 laminectomies compared with intact specimens. The increased rates of C6 vertical displacements after laminectomy were slightly lower than C5. The anterior horizontal bulging of C5-6 discs increased by 29.69% in axial compression, 13.86% in flexion, 61.79% in extension, and 13.40% in left bending after laminectomy. The rotational angles of whole specimens had an increase of 15% after laminectomy. The strains in the anterior vertebral bodies and posterior laminae near the articular processes of C5 and C6 were increased significantly after laminectomy. The data indicated that multiple level laminectomy can lead to biomechanical instability of the cervical spine.

Studies on specific serological antigens in metacercariae and juveniles of Paragoniums westermani and its monoclonal antibodies.

The polyclonal antibodies to juveniles of Paragoniums westermani (PwJ-PcAbs) from sera of Wistar rats infected with Paragoniums westermani (P.w.) were purified by Sephadex G 200 chromatography. Next the shared serological antigens of P.w. metacercaria and juveniles (PwMJ-SAg) from the crude antigens of the metacercariae (M-NS-Ag) were purified with immuno-affinity chromatography on cyanogen bromide-activated cross-linked Sepharose 4B beads coupled with PwJ-PcAbs. PwMJ-SAg, a group of glycoprotein molecules shown by the staining test, were specific serological antigens of P.w. metacercariae and juveniles, identified by the immunoabsorb test and immunoelectrophoresis. By SDS-PAGE, PwMJ-SAg were fractionated to seven bands, including major bands A (27.5 K) and Bi (19.5 K), the two major serological antigen molecules. 20 sera samples from the patients with the nonpulmonary type of P. w. paragonimiasis were detected using PwMJ-SAg and M-NS-Ag by Dot-ELISA, and the difference of sensitivity between two antigens was highly statistically significant (P less than 0.001). BALB/c mice, in the early stage of infection with P. w. metacercaria, were immunized with PwMJ-SAg. The spleen cells of the mice were isolated and fused with SP2/o, a murine myeloma cell line. After three subclonal cultures, eight cell lines secreting monoclonal antibodies (McAbs) to PwMJ-SAg were prepared from 384 wells of hybridoma cells. All McAbs were IgG1 subclass.