Neoadjuvant camrelizumab plus apatinib for locally advanced microsatellite instability-high or mismatch repair-deficient colorectal cancer (NEOCAP): a single-arm, open-label, phase 2 study.

BACKGROUND: PD-1 blockade is highly efficacious for mismatch repair-deficient colorectal cancer in both metastatic and neoadjuvant settings. We aimed to explore the activity and safety of neoadjuvant therapy with PD-1 blockade plus an angiogenesis inhibitor and the feasibility of organ preservation in patients with locally advanced mismatch repair-deficient colorectal cancer. METHODS: We initiated a single-arm, open-label, phase 2 trial (NEOCAP) at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center and the Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China. Patients aged 18-75 years with untreated mismatch repair-deficient or microsatellite instability-high or POLE/POLD1-mutated locally advanced colorectal cancer (cT3 or N+ for rectal cancer, and T3 with invasion ≥5mm or T4, with or without N+ for colon cancer) and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance score of 0-1 were enrolled and given 200 mg camrelizumab intravenously on day 1 and 250 mg apatinib orally from day 1-14, every 3 weeks for 3 months followed by surgery or 6 months if patients did not have surgery. Patients who had a clinical complete response did not undergo surgery and proceeded with a watch-and-wait approach. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients with a pathological or clinical complete response. Eligible enrolled patients who received at least one cycle of neoadjuvant treatment and had at least one tumour response assessment following the baseline assessment were included in the activity analysis, and patients who received at least one dose of study drug were included in the safety analysis. The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04715633) and is ongoing. FINDINGS: Between Sept 29, 2020, and Dec 15, 2022, 53 patients were enrolled; one patient was excluded from the activity analysis because they were found to be mismatch repair-proficient and microsatellite-stable. 23 (44%) patients were female and 29 (56%) were male. The median follow-up was 16·4 (IQR 10·5-23·5) months. 28 (54%; 95% CI 35-68) patients had a clinical complete response and 24 of these patients were managed with a watch-and-wait approach, including 20 patients with colon cancer and multiple primary colorectal cancer. 23 (44%) of 52 patients underwent surgery for the primary tumour, and 14 (61%; 95% CI 39-80) had a pathological complete response. 38 (73%; 95% CI 59-84) of 52 patients had a complete response. Grade 3-5 adverse events occurred in 20 (38%) of 53 patients; the most common were increased aminotransferase (six [11%]), bowel obstruction (four [8%]), and hypertension (four [8%]). Drug-related serious adverse events occurred in six (11%) of 53 patients. One patient died from treatment-related immune-related hepatitis. INTERPRETATION: Neoadjuvant camrelizumab plus apatinib show promising antitumour activity in patients with locally advanced mismatch repair-deficient or microsatellite instability-high colorectal cancer. Immune-related adverse events should be monitored with the utmost vigilance. Organ preservation seems promising not only in patients with rectal cancer, but also in those with colon cancer who have a clinical complete response. Longer follow-up is needed to assess the oncological outcomes of the watch-and-wait approach. FUNDING: The National Natural Science Foundation of China, Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation, and the Cancer Innovative Research Program of Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center. TRANSLATION: For the Chinese translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

[Evaluation of the Short-Term Efficacy and Safety of Orelabrutinib Combined with High-Dose Methotrexate in the First-line Treatment of Elderly Patients with High Risk Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the short-term efficacy and adverse reactions of orelabrutinib combined with high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX) in the first-line treatment of elderly high-risk primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL), as well as the survival of patients. METHODS: Twenty-five elderly patients with high-risk primary central nervous system diffuse large B-cell lymphoma admitted to Fujian Provincial Hospital from June 2016 to June 2022 were enrolled in this study, and complete clinical data from all patients were collected retrospectively, and the cut-off for follow-up was December 2022. 15 patients had received temmozolomide combined with HD-MTX regimen for at least four cycles, sequential lenalidomide maintenance therapy, while 10 patients had received orelabrutinib combined with HD-MTX regimen for at least four cycles, sequential orelabrutinib maintenance therapy. The short-term efficacy and adverse reactions of the two groups of patients after treatment were observed. Kaplan-Meier was used to analyze the progression-free survival (PFS) and time to progression (TTP). RESULTS: The objective response rate (ORR) and 2-year median FPS of orelabrutinib combined with HD-MTX regimen group were similar to the temozolomide combined with HD-MTX regimen group (ORR: 100% vs 66.7%; 2-year median PFS: 16 months vs 15 months, P>0.05). The 2-year median TTP of the orelabrutinib+HD-MTX regimen group was better than that of the temozolomide+HD-MTX regimen group (not reached vs 12 months, P<0.05). There were no significant differences in adverse reactions such as gastrointestinal reactions, bone marrow suppression, liver and kidney damage, cardiotoxicity, pneumonia and bleeding between these two groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: For elderly patients with high-risk PCNSL, orelabrutinib combined with HD-MTX has reliable short-term efficacy, good safety, and tolerable adverse reactions, which is worthy of clinical promotion.

MRI-Based Radiomics Features to Predict Treatment Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer: A Single Center, Prospective Study.

This is a prospective, single center study aimed to evaluate the predictive power of peritumor and intratumor radiomics features assessed using T2 weight image (T2WI) of baseline magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in evaluating pathological good response to NAC in patients with LARC (including Tany N+ or T3/4a Nany but not T4b). In total, 137 patients with LARC received NAC between April 2014 and August 2020. All patients were undergoing contrast-enhanced MRI and 129 patients contained small field of view (sFOV) sequence which were performed prior to treatment. The tumor regression grade standard was based on pathological response. The training and validation sets (n=91 vs. n=46) were established by random allocation of the patients. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis was applied to estimate the performance of different models based on clinical characteristics and radiomics features obtained from MRI, including peritumor and intratumor features, in predicting treatment response; these effects were calculated using the area under the curve (AUC). The performance and agreement of the nomogram were estimated using calibration plots. In total, 24 patients (17.52%) achieved a complete or near-complete response. For the individual radiomics model in the validation set, the performance of peritumor radiomics model in predicting treatment response yield an AUC of 0.838, while that of intratumor radiomics model is 0.805, which show no statically significant difference between then(P>0.05). The traditional and selective clinical features model shows a poor predictive ability in treatment response (AUC=0.596 and 0.521) in validation set. The AUC of combined radiomics model was improved compared to that of the individual radiomics models in the validation sets (AUC=0.844). The combined clinic-radiomics model yield the highest AUC (0.871) in the validation set, although it did not improve the performance of the radiomics model for predicting treatment response statically (P>0.05). Good agreement and discrimination were observed in the nomogram predictions. Both peritumor and intratumor radiomics features performed similarly in predicting a good response to NAC in patients with LARC. The clinic-radiomics model showed the best performance in predicting treatment response.

[Rituximab-Based Regimens for Treatment of Primary Gastric Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze clinical response of the Rituximab-based chemotherapy and prognostic features in patients with primary gastric diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (PGDLBCL). METHODS: From June 2008 to December 2020, the data of 53 PGDLBCL patients were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: The median age was 46(25-77) years old in 53 patients including 35 males and 18 females. Stomachache is the most common symptom. The diagnosis were confirmed in 47 patients by endoscopic biopsy and 6 patients by surgery. Twenty-six patients had Ⅰ/Ⅱ1 stage (Lugano staging system) disease and 27 cases had II2/IV stage disease. All patients were treated with chemotherapy, including RCHOP (25/53) and R-DA-EPOCH (28/53). Complete remission rate was 79.2%（42/53）. The 3-year and 5-year overall survival (OS) rates were 77.4% and 69.8%. Univariate analysis showed that lactate dehydrogenase(LDH), Lugano stage and lesion size affected OS. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that IPI score and Lugano stage were independent prognosis risk factors affecting OS. The patients in the R-DA-EPOCH group presented better survival outcomes than those in the RCHOP group with late stage (P5-year OS=0.035). CONCLUSION: Rituximab in combination with chemotherapy is the backbone of therapy for PGDLBCL. IPI score and Lugano stage are independent prognosis risk factors affecting OS of PGDLBCL. R-DA-EPOCH can be superior to R-CHOP as a first-line regimen in PGDLBCL patients with late stage.

Myomatous erythrocytosis syndrome: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Uterine myoma is the most common benign tumor among women and is often accompanied by anemia. Here, we report the case of a patient with a very large leiomyoma but with a hemoglobin level as high as 197 g/L. After undergoing hysterectomy, all her hematological parameters returned to normal. Immunohistochemical staining of her myoma for erythropoietin showed strong positivity, which suggested that erythropoietin may be the cause of her erythrocytosis. A multidisciplinary team played a significant role in treating the disease. CASE SUMMARY: A 47-year-old woman visited our department complaining that her abdomen had been continuously growing for the past 2 years. After careful examinations, she was suspected of having a very large leiomyoma. She was also diagnosed with erythrocytosis because her RBC count was 6.49 × 1012/L, hemoglobin was 197 g/L. Following a multidisciplinary team consultation, bilateral ureteral stents were placed, and 800 mL blood was removed by phlebotomy. The patient then underwent hysterectomy and bilateral salpingectomy. She recovered well from the operation, and her hemoglobin level decreased sharply following the surgery. Low-molecular-weight heparin was administered daily to prevent postoperative thrombosis. She was discharged from the hospital on the fourth postoperative day. Two months later, all her hematological parameters returned to normal. Pathological analysis of the myoma revealed that it was a benign leiomyoma, with partial hyalinization, and strong positivity for erythropoietin in immunohistochemical staining suggested that erythropoietin may be responsible for the erythrocytosis. CONCLUSION: Erythropoietin ectopically produced from the myoma was responsible for the erythrocytosis in this patient. A multidisciplinary team is strongly recommended.

Treatment and outcome patterns of patients with Waldenström's macroglobulinemia: a large, multicenter retrospective review in China.

In this study, we aimed to investigate treatment options and the prognosis of patients with WM in China. This retrospective study included 1141 patients diagnosed with symptomatic WM between January 2003 and December 2019 at 35 tertiary hospitals in 22 provinces of China. Fifty-four patients (7.3%) received monotherapy, 264 (36.0%) received chemoimmunotherapy, 395 (53.8%) received other combination regimens without rituximab, and 21 (2.9%) received ibrutinib. Using a multivariable Cox regression model, age > 65 years old, platelets <100 × 109/L, serum albumin <3.5 g/dl, ß2 microglobulin concentration ≥4 mg/L and LDH ≥250 IU/L predicted poor OS. In summary, our study showed that frontline treatment choices for WM are widely heterogeneous. We validated most of the established prognostic factors in the rIPSS (age >65 years, LDH ≥250 IU/L, ALB <3.5 g/dl and ß2 microglobulin ≥4 mg/L) together with PLT ≤ 100 × 109/L indicate a poor prognosis for patients with WM.

[DA-EPOCH Chemotherapy Combined with G-CSF Effectively Mobilizes Autologous PBHSC in NHL Patients].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of the DA-EPOCH chemotherapy combined with G-CSF and the CTX therapy with G-CSF on mobilizing and collecting the peripheral blood hematopoietic stem cells and the later hematopoietic recovery. METHODS: Forty patients accepted mobilization and collection of peripheral blood stem cells(PBSC) after treated by CTX+G-CSF and DA-EPOCH+G-CSF therapy respectively, and were treated by auto-transfusion after BEAM pre-regimen. The mobilization efficacy, adverse effects and hematopoietic recovery after autologous transplantation were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: During the CTX+G-CSF mobilization, only one patient achieved the white blood cell(WBC) at 0.8×109/L, while the others were with the lowest WBC level above 2.0×109/L. The platelet counts were all normal with the exception of 3 cases at 80×109/L. The median percentage of CD34+ cells in one period of collection was 0.99(0.35-1.30)%. The median MNC was (3.80±2.05)×1010. The cumulative total of mononuclear cell was (5.84±2.48)×108/kg, and the median CD34+ cell count was 3.84(3.91-6.5)×106/kg. During the DA-EPOCH+G-CSF mobilization, the peripheral WBC count of patients were decreased to the lowest level at (0.2-1.4)×109/L. The platelet counts were all above 40×109/L except for 1 case in which the platelet count was reduced to 8×109/L. The median percentage of CD34+ cells in one period of collection was 0.85(0.34-1.2)%. The median MNC was (3.68±1.56)×1010. The cumulative total of mononuclear cells was (6.01±2.26)×108/kg, and the median CD34+ cell count was 4.44(2.7-7.10)×106/kg. There were no statistical differences between the 2 groups in the median percentage of CD34+ cells, the median MNC, the cumulative total of mononuclear cells and the median CD34+ cell counts (P>0.05). The average acquired time for granulocyte engraftment was 10.00(9.00-11.00) days, and for platelet engraftment was 12.50(11.00-17.25) days, with no statistical difference(P>0.05). No death occurred during the process of transplantation. CONCLUSION: DA-EPOCH therapy combined with G-CSF can effectively mobilize the peripheral blood hematopoietic stem cells in NHL patients with higher safety and lower price, and proves to be worth recommending in clinical use.

Animal reservoir, natural and socioeconomic variations and the transmission of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in Chenzhou, China, 2006-2010.

BACKGROUND: China has the highest incidence of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) worldwide. Reported cases account for 90% of the total number of global cases. By 2010, approximately 1.4 million HFRS cases had been reported in China. This study aimed to explore the effect of the rodent reservoir, and natural and socioeconomic variables, on the transmission pattern of HFRS. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Data on monthly HFRS cases were collected from 2006 to 2010. Dynamic rodent monitoring data, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data, climate data, and socioeconomic data were also obtained. Principal component analysis was performed, and the time-lag relationships between the extracted principal components and HFRS cases were analyzed. Polynomial distributed lag (PDL) models were used to fit and forecast HFRS transmission. Four principal components were extracted. Component 1 (F1) represented rodent density, the NDVI, and monthly average temperature. Component 2 (F2) represented monthly average rainfall and monthly average relative humidity. Component 3 (F3) represented rodent density and monthly average relative humidity. The last component (F4) represented gross domestic product and the urbanization rate. F2, F3, and F4 were significantly correlated, with the monthly HFRS incidence with lags of 4 months (r = -0.289, P<0.05), 5 months (r = -0.523, P<0.001), and 0 months (r = -0.376, P<0.01), respectively. F1 was correlated with the monthly HFRS incidence, with a lag of 4 months (r = 0.179, P = 0.192). Multivariate PDL modeling revealed that the four principal components were significantly associated with the transmission of HFRS. CONCLUSIONS: The monthly trend in HFRS cases was significantly associated with the local rodent reservoir, climatic factors, the NDVI, and socioeconomic conditions present during the previous months. The findings of this study may facilitate the development of early warning systems for the control and prevention of HFRS and similar diseases.

Investigating the effects of food available and climatic variables on the animal host density of hemorrhagic Fever with renal syndrome in changsha, china.

BACKGROUND: The transmission of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is influenced by population dynamics of its main host, rodents. It is therefore important to better understand rodents' characteristic in epidemic areas. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We examined the potential impact of food available and climatic variability on HFRS rodent host and developed forecasting models. Monthly rodent density of HFRS host and climate data in Changsha from January 2004 to December 2011 were obtained. Monthly normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and temperature vegetation dryness index (TVDI) for rice paddies were extracted from MODIS data. Cross-correlation analysis were carried out to explore correlation between climatic variables and food available with monthly rodent data. We used auto-regressive integrated moving average model with explanatory variables to examine the independent contribution of climatic variables and food supply to rodent density. The results indicated that relative rodent density of HFRS host was significantly correlated with monthly mean temperatures, monthly accumulative precipitation, TVDI and NDVI with lags of 1-6 months. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Food available plays a significant role in population fluctuations of HFRS host in Changsha. The model developed in this study has implications for HFRS control and prevention.

High-throughput discovery of chloroplast and mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms in Brassicaceae species by ORG-EcoTILLING.

BACKGROUND: Information on polymorphic DNA in organelle genomes is essential for evolutionary and ecological studies. However, it is challenging to perform high-throughput investigations of chloroplast and mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms. In recent years, EcoTILLING stands out as one of the most universal, low-cost, and high-throughput reverse genetic methods, and the identification of natural genetic variants can provide much information about gene function, association mapping and linkage disequilibrium analysis and species evolution. Until now, no report exists on whether this method is applicable to organelle genomes and to what extent it can be used. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To address this problem, we adapted the CEL I-based heteroduplex cleavage strategy used in Targeting Induced Local Lesions in Genomes (TILLING) for the discovery of nucleotide polymorphisms in organelle genomes. To assess the applicability and accuracy of this technology, designated ORG-EcoTILLING, at different taxonomic levels, we sampled two sets of taxa representing accessions from the Brassicaceae with three chloroplast genes (accD, matK and rbcL) and one mitochondrial gene (atp6). The method successfully detected nine, six and one mutation sites in the accD, matK and rbcL genes, respectively, in 96 Brassica accessions. These mutations were confirmed by DNA sequencing, with 100% accuracy at both inter- and intraspecific levels. We also detected 44 putative mutations in accD in 91 accessions from 45 species and 29 genera of seven tribes. Compared with DNA sequencing results, the false negative rate was 36%. However, 17 SNPs detected in atp6 were completely identical to the sequencing results. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These results suggest that ORG-EcoTILLING is a powerful and cost-effective alternative method for high-throughput genome-wide assessment of inter- and intraspecific chloroplast and mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms. It will play an important role in evolutionary and ecological biology studies, in identification of related genes associated with agronomic importance such as high yield and improved cytoplasmic quality, and for identifying mitochondrial point mutations responsible for diseases in humans and other animals.

[Study on sensitivity of climatic factors on influenza A (H1N1) based on classification and regression tree and wavelet analysis].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the periodicity of pandemic influenza A (H1N1) in Changsha in year 2009 and its correlation with sensitive climatic factors. METHODS: The information of 5439 cases of influenza A (H1N1) and synchronous meteorological data during the period between May 22th and December 31st in year 2009 (223 days in total) in Changsha city were collected. The classification and regression tree (CART) was employed to screen the sensitive climatic factors on influenza A (H1N1); meanwhile, cross wavelet transform and wavelet coherence analysis were applied to assess and compare the periodicity of the pandemic disease and its association with the time-lag phase features of the sensitive climatic factors. RESULTS: The results of CART indicated that the daily minimum temperature and daily absolute humidity were the sensitive climatic factors for the popularity of influenza A (H1N1) in Changsha. The peak of the incidence of influenza A (H1N1) was in the period between October and December (Median (M) = 44.00 cases per day), simultaneously the daily minimum temperature (M = 13°C) and daily absolute humidity (M = 6.69 g/m(3)) were relatively low. The results of wavelet analysis demonstrated that a period of 16 days was found in the epidemic threshold in Changsha, while the daily minimum temperature and daily absolute humidity were the relatively sensitive climatic factors. The number of daily reported patients was statistically relevant to the daily minimum temperature and daily absolute humidity. The frequency domain was mostly in the period of (16 ± 2) days. In the initial stage of the disease (from August 9th and September 8th), a 6-day lag was found between the incidence and the daily minimum temperature. In the peak period of the disease, the daily minimum temperature and daily absolute humidity were negatively relevant to the incidence of the disease. CONCLUSION: In the pandemic period, the incidence of influenza A (H1N1) showed periodic features; and the sensitive climatic factors did have a "driving effect" on the incidence of influenza A (H1N1).

[Study on the influence of landscape elements regarding on the transmission of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in Changsha].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the influence of landscape elements on the transmission of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in Changsha. METHODS: A total of 327 cases of HFRS diagnosed between year 2005 - 2009 were recruited in the study. Based on the demographic data, meteorological data and the data of second national land survey during the same period, a GIS landscape elements database of HFRS at the township scale of Changsha was established. Spatial-temporal cluster analysis methods were adopted to explore the influence of landscape elements on the spatial-temporal distribution of HFRS in Changsha during the year of 2005 - 2009. RESULTS: The annual incidences of HFRS in Changsha between year 2005 - 2009 were 1.16/100 000 (70 cases), 0.95/100 000 (58 cases), 1.40/100 000(87 cases), 0.75/100 000(47 cases) and 1.02/100 000(65 cases) respectively. The results of poisson regression model analysis of principal component showed that the incidence of HFRS was positively correlated with farmland area (M = 29.00 km2) and urban and rural area (M = 6.12 km2; incidence rate ratios (IRR) = 1.34, 95% CI: 1.27 - 1.41); but negatively correlated with forestland area (M = 39.00 km2; IRR = 0.67, 95% CI: 0.55 - 0.81) and garden plot area (M = 0.99 km2; IRR = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.63 - 0.86). A significant cluster of the spatial-temporal distribution of HFRS cases was found in the study. The primary cluster (28.9 N, 113.37 E, radius at 22.22 km, RR = 5.23, log likelihood ratio (LLR) = 51.61, P <0.01, 67 cases of HFRS and incidence at 4.4/100 000) was found between year 2006 and 2007; and the secondary cluster (28.2 N, 113.6 E, RR = 10.77, LLR = 16.01, P < 0.01, 11 cases of HFRS and the incidence at 10.6/100 000) was found between year 2008 and 2009. CONCLUSION: The landscape elements were found to be closely related to the prevalence and transmission of HFRS.

Adsorption and desorption properties of macroporous resins for anthocyanins from the calyx extract of roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.).

Adsorption of roselle anthocynins, a natural pigment, onto various macroporous resins was optimized to develop a simple and efficient process for industrial separation and purification of roselle anthocyanins. Nine different macroporous resins (AB-8, X-5, HPD-100, SP-207, XAD-4, LS-305A, DM-21, LS-610B, and LS-305) were evaluated for the adsorption properties of the anthocyanins extracted from the calyx extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa L. The influences of phase contact time, solution pH, initial anthocyanin concentration, and ethanol concentration with different citric acid amounts were studied by the static adsorption/desorption method. The adsorption isotherm data were fitted well to the Langmuir isotherm, and according to this model, LS-610B and LS-305 exhibited the highest monolayer sorption capacities of 31.95 and 38.16 mg/g, respectively. The kinetic data were modeled using pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, and intraparticle diffusion equations. The experimental data were well described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Continuous column adsorption-regeneration cycles indicated negligible capacity loss of LS-305 during operation. The overall yield of pigment product was 49.6 mg/g dried calyces. The content of roselle anthocynins in the pigment product was 4.85%.

Tris(2-hydroxy-ethyl)ammonium 1,3-benzo-thia-zole-2-thiol-ate.

In the title compound, C(6)H(16)NO(3) (+)·C(7)H(4)NS(2) (-), the cations and anions are connected by O-H⋯N and O-H⋯S hydrogen bonding. Weak C-H⋯O hydrogen bonding between adjacent cations helps to stabilize the crystal structure.

[Laboratory diagnosis and molecular characterization of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (H5N1) in human in Hunan Province in 2005-2006].

To determine the etiologic agents of two atypical pneumonia human cases in Hunan Province in 2005-2006 and to study their pathogenic potential, the patients' respiratory tract samples and sera were collected. The respiratory tract samples were tested by real-time RT-PCR and RT-PCR methods, and the sera by hemagglutination-inhibition assay. Virus was isolated from case 2 and its genome was sequenced and analyzed. Results showed the H5 nucleic acid tests of two cases were positive. The H5-specific antibody titer of the convalescence serum of case 1 showed a 4-fold greater rise than that of the acute phase. And case 2's antibody titer of acute phase was negative. The two atypical pneumonia cases were confirmed as the avian influenza A (H5N1) infection cases. Viral strain A/Hunan/1/2006 was isolated from case 2. Phylogenetic and molecular analysis suggested that 8 gene segments of A/Hunan/1/2006 originated from avian viruses. And A/Hunan/1/2006 was similar with viruses isolated from avian in Hunan Province. The isolated virus did not recombine with human influenza viruses and no obvious variation was observed.

[Molecular mapping of the gene(s) controlling petal-loss trait in Brassica napus].

An F2 population derived from a cross between apetalous line' APT02 'and normal petalled cultivar 'ZS NO.4' was used for molecular marker searching and chromosomal mapping of the gene(s) controlling petal-loss trait in Brassica napus. Twenty pairs of AFLP primers and 170 pairs of SRAP primers were selected and screened from two parents. In further selection through bulked segregant analysis (BSA) approach, one SRAP marker e8m3_4 (600 bp) and one AFLP marker E3247_15 (150 bp) were obtained and found to be linked to the gene(s) controlling petal-loss trait, with the genetic distance of 5 cM and 13.5 cM. A linkage map in Brassica napus was constructed. It consisted of 213 AFLP56 SSR loci and a morphology marker throughout 17 main linkage groups, two triplet and four linkage pairs. Total length of the map covered 2,487.1 cM, and average interval between markers was 10.09 cM. By genetic mapping, the gene(s) controlling petal-loss trait (WHB)was mapped in LG4.