[Urban habitants' attitudes toward nature-approximating landscape architecture: taking Hongshan District of Wuhan City, China as a case].

Nature-approximating landscape architecture (NALA) is a concept of sustainable development as applied to landscape architecture, while the urban habitants' awareness and acceptance of NALA idea is the key for the successful application of NALA. Through semi-structured interview, this paper explored the attitudes of the habitants in Hongshan District of Wuhan City toward the NALA design and management, and the influence of the social-economic characteristics of the responders on their attitudes toward the NALA. A fairly low percentage of the responders approved of the NALA design (10.3% - 46.9%) and management (7.4% - 34.9%). The attitudes towards NALA design were mainly affected by the responders' age, and the attitudes toward NALA management were significantly correlated with the responders' age, educational level, and profession. The efficient cause why a large number of responders did not support the NALA was that these responders attached importance to the aesthetic effect of green space, and preferred cleanliness and order. The lack of related ecological knowledge and environmental awareness was the root cause of the lesser support towards NALA. To establish NALA demonstration bases and to intensify the publicity and education of NALA idea and related ecological knowledge could promote an increasing number of urban habitants actively participating in NALA construction.

[Construction and expression of a coxsackievirus A16 VP1 gene plasmid which delivered by live attenuated Salmonella].

AIM: To develop a coxsackievirus A16 (Cox A16) VP1 gene plasmid which delivered by live attenuated Salmonella. METHODS: The plasmid which expressed VP1 protein of CoxA16 was constructed by gene recombination. Cellular expression was assessed by Western bloten analysis. Then the recombinant attenuated Salmonella which harboring the plasmid were constructed by electro transformation. RESULTS: CoxA16 VP1 gene sequence was inserted into a eukaryotic expression plasmid. VP1 protein was detected in the culture supernatant. CONCLUSION: The plasmid is constructed successfully and it can be expressed effectively in vitro. The recombinant bacteria are constructed successfully. This has provided a basis for further research of an oral CoxA16 vaccine.

[The clinical efficacy and safety of adefovir dipivoxil in combination with bicyclol for the treatment of senior patients with chronic hepatitis B].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of adefovir dipivoxil (ADV) in combination with bicyclol for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in seniors. METHODS: 96 senior patients with CHB were randomly divided into two groups, the treatment group and the control group. On the basis of routine liver protective treatment, patients in the treatment group received ADV (10 mg/d) and bicyclol tablets (25 mg, tid.) orally, and those in the control group were orally administrated ADV tablets (10 mg/d) only. The treatment course for both groups was 24 weeks. Serum ALT, AST, and alterations of virological parameters were observed before and after the treatment. RESULTS: Before and at the end of the 24 weeks treatment, ALT level for the treatment group was (208.44 +/- 94.22) and (34.47 +/- 12.79) U/L, and those for the control group was (205.73 +/- 96.48) and (44.20 +/- 21.96) U/L, respectively (difference between groups P < 0.01). At the end of the 24 weeks treatment, ALT normalization rates for the treatment group and the control group were 76.6% and 54.5%, respectively, and AST normalization rates for them were 76.6% and 54.5%, respectively (both differences between groups P < 0.05); HBV DNA loads for the treatment group and the control group were decreased by (3.1 +/- 1.40) lgIU/ml and (2.98 +/- 1.17) lgIU/ ml, respectively (difference between groups P > 0.05). The incidence rates of adverse events between two groups were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: It suggested that the treatment of ADV in combination with bicyclol for senior patients with CHB is effective and safe.

[Construction and identification of attenuated Salmonella which harboring enterovirus 71 VP1 gene].

OBJECTIVE: To develop attenuated Salmonella which harboring enterovirus 71 (EV71) VP1 gene. METHODS: The plasmid which expressed VP1 protein of EV71 was constructed by gene recombination. Cellular expression was assessed by Western Blot analysis. The recombinant plasmid was then transformed into attenuated Salmonella SL7207. RESULTS: EV71 VP1 gene sequence was inserted into a eukaryotic expression plasmid VR1012. VP1 protein was detected by Western Blot analysis in the culture supernatant. And the attenuated Salmonella harbored the plasmid stable. CONCLUSION: The plasmid was constructed successfully and it can express effectively in vitro. The bacteria which harboring the plasmid were constructed successfully. This has provided a basis for further research of an oral EV71 vaccine.

[An analysis of the clinical characteristics of patients with chronic hepatitis B superinfected with acute hepatitis E].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate clinical features of the patients with hepatitis B superinfected with acute hepatitis E (AHE). METHODS: Totally 625 consecutive patients enrolled from Dec 2002 to Dec 2006 were studied retrospectively. All of the patients were subclassified into acute hepatitis E group (AHE=437 cases) and Superinfected Group (S=188 cases), and S group was further divided into the group of chronic hepatitis B superinfected with acute hepatitis E (CHB+AHE, 130 cases) and the group of liver cirrhosis and hepatitis B superinfected with acute hepatitis E (LCB+AHE, 58 cases). In 32 of the 188 superinfected patients the effects of HEV on HBV were observed by comparing the levels of HBV DNA in acute vs. convalescence stages. RESULTS: Compared with the patients with AHE, the superinfected patients had a higher level of total bilirubin (TBil), an elevated frequency of fulminate hepatitis, mortality and a longer period of the mean hospital stay for the cured patients but significantly lower levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), serum albumin and prothrombin activity (PA). Furthermore, the group of LCB+AHE had a higher level of TBil and higher incidences of complications such as ascites, peritonitis, hepatic encephalopathy and disturbance in glycometabolism than the group of CHB+AHE. The follow-up for the superinfected patients showed that 20 of 32 patients (62.5 percent) had decreased copies of HBV DNA during the recovery phase compared with the acute phase, and the mean decrease of HBV DNA was 2.1 log10. The HBV DNA was in a persistently undetectable level in 6 of 32 (18.8 percent) superinfected patients. However, 4 of 32 patients (12.5 percent) showed an unchanged levels of HBV DNA and 2 cases (6.2 percent) had a slightly increased HBV DNA levels. CONCLUSION: Superinfection with AHE in patients with chronic hepatitis B leads to a more severe hepatic damage and the replication of HBV DNA can be transiently inhibited.

[Clinical research on the effect of Oxymatrine on serum cholinesterase].

BACKGROUND: To investigate the effect of Oxymatrine (OM) on serum cholinesterase (ChE) during the treatment of viral hepatitis and the relationship between the change of ChE and the change of albumin (ALB), prothrombin activity (PTA) and other liver function tests. METHODS: A total of 98 patients with viral hepatitis were divided into four groups. Group A consisted of 31 patients and were treated with OM intravenous infusion; Group B consisted of 30 patients, treated with OM orally; Group C consisted of 7 patients and were treated with OM intramuscular injection while Group D consisted of 30 patients, and were not treated with OM. ChE, ALB, PTA, liver function, renal function, soluble complement receptor-1 (sCR1) and erythrocyte innate immune adhesion function (EIIAF) were regularly determined. RESULTS: ChE in Group A,B,C was dropped obviously during the treatment (P less than 0.001, less than 0.001, 0.023=. But there were no change in ALB, PTA, sCR1, EIIAF (P greater than 0.05), and remarkable improvement of ALT, AST, TBiL was seen during the treatment in Groups A, B, C. After the treatment with OM, the level of ChE recovered soon. CONCLUSION: Serum level of ChE significantly declined during the treatment of viral hepatitis with OM, but no change was found in ALB, PTA, sCR1, EIIAF while liver function tests showed better results. So the drop of ChE does not mean deprivation of patient's liver disease.