Hepatitis B virus nucleic acid testing in Chinese blood donors with normal and elevated alanine aminotransferase.

BACKGROUND: Nucleic acid testing (NAT) is currently not a routine donor test in China. The aim of this study was to evaluate the current residual risk of hepatitis B virus (HBV) transmission and the value of ALT testing in preventing HBV infection. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: From January 2008 to September 2009, a total of 5521 qualified donations by routine screening and 5034 deferred donations due to elevated ALT alone were collected from five blood centers. Samples were tested for HBV DNA by triplex individual-donation (ID)-NAT (ULTRIO assay, on the TIGRIS system, Novartis Diagnostics). HBV NAT-reactive samples were further analyzed by HBV serology, alternative NAT, and viral load and were diluted to simulate if they could be detected in a minipool-NAT. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the HBV NAT-yield rate between the qualified donations group (5/5521) and the deferred donations group (4/5034). Of these nine potential HBV-yield cases, one donor (11%) was a possible HBV window-period donor, one (11%) was a chronic HBV carrier, and seven (78%) had probable or confirmed occult HBV infections. Of seven potential HBV-yield cases quantified, the viral loads were less than or equal to 70.0 IU/mL. Minipool testing (minipools of 4, 8, and 16 donations) would miss 43% to 79% of the nine HBV-yield donations. CONCLUSIONS: Based on our findings in qualified donations, we estimate that the nationwide implementation of ID-NAT testing for HBV DNA in China would detect an additional 9964 viremic donations per year. ALT testing seems to have no significant value in preventing transfusion-transmitted HBV infection. ID-NAT versus simulated minipool-NAT using the ULTRIO test demonstrates the benefit to implement a more sensitive NAT strategy in regions of high HBV endemicity.

Chemistry of heterocyclic ketene aminals: construction of imidazo(pyrido)[1,2-a]pyridines and imidazo(pyrido)[3,2,1-ij][1,8]naphthyridines via DABCO-catalyzed tandem annulations.

2-(2-Chloroaroyl)methyleneimidazolidines with four reactive sites show fascinating structural features and could be used as a new strategy for the synthesis of novel heterocycles. This paper presents our new findings in the reaction of 2-(2-chloroaroyl)methyleneimidazolidines with allenic esters affording functionalized imidazo(pyrido)[1,2-a]pyridines via DABCO-catalyzed tandem annulations. Of particular significance is the incorporation of an o-halo group into the aryl ring of 2-benzoylmethylene-imidazolidines to set up a convenient and general way for constructing unusual imidazo(pyrido)[3,2,1-ij][1,8]naphthyridines.

[Deletion and mutation analysis to FOXL2 in blepharophimosis-ptosis-epicanthus inversus syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To perform genetic analysis in 5 patients with blepharophimosis-ptosis-epicanthus inversus syndrome (BPES) and refine the genotype-phenotype correlation. METHODS: G-band karyotyping, fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), SNP array, PCR and sequencing techniques were performed to one patient with BPES and mental retardation and 4 only with BPES. RESULTS: Patient 1 with mental retardation carried a 9.4 Mb heterozygous deletion in chromosome 3q22.1-q23 including FOXL2 gene; Both patient 2 and 3 carried a c.704delG heterozygous mutation of FOXL2, while they were assigned to the different clinical type from those reported previously. Patient 3 was assigned to type II BPES; No mutation of FOXL2 was detected in patient 4 and 5. CONCLUSIONS: There might be the gene(s) responsible for mental retardation within chromosome 3q22.1-q23. It was indicated that the mutation c.704delG in FOXL2 led to a truncated protein is associated with both type I and II of BPES.

Evidence that hydroxysafflor yellow A protects the heart against ischaemia-reperfusion injury by inhibiting mitochondrial permeability transition pore opening.

1. The present study was conducted to investigate whether hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA) has a protective effect against heart injury after ischaemia-reperfusion and to determine the possible mechanism involved. 2. Hearts isolated from male Sprague-Dawley rats were perfused on a Langendorff apparatus and subjected to 30 min global ischaemia, followed by 120 min reperfusion. Infarct size and the level of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in the coronary effluent were determined. In mitochondria from isolated perfused hearts, Ca(2+)-induced swelling was observed. In isolated ventricular myocytes, depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane was determined by tetramethyl-rhodamine ethyl ester (TMRE) fluorescence. Furthermore, levels of phosphorylated endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) protein were measured by western blot. 3. Pretreatment with HSYA for 5 min before ischaemia reduced infarct size and the release of LDH. Administration of 20 micromol/L atractyloside, an opener of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore, and 10 micromol/L N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), an inhibitor of NOS, attenuated the protective effects of HSYA. In mitochondria isolated from hearts pretreated with 0.1 mmol/L HSYA for 5 min, a significant inhibition of Ca(2+)-induced swelling was observed and this inhibition was attenuated by l-NAME. In isolated ventricular myocytes, pretreatment with HSYA prevented ischaemia-induced cell death and depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane, whereas atractyloside or l-NAME attenuated the effects of HSYA. Levels of phosphorylated eNOS protein were significantly enhanced in the HSYA-treated group. 4. The findings of the present study indicate that HSYA protects the myocardium against ischaemia-reperfusion injury by inhibiting mitochondrial permeability transition pore opening. The effect of HSYA on mitochondrial permeability transition pore opening may be mediated through enhanced nitric oxide production by eNOS activation.

Carrier Transport Improvement of CH3NH3PbI3 Film by Methylamine Gas Treatment.

Recently, perovskite solar cells with high photovoltaic performance based on methylammonium lead halide have attracted great interest due to the superior physical properties of the perovskite optical absorption layer. Here, we investigate the interface carrier transport properties of CH3NH3PbI3 film by applying the reported treatment with methylamine gas, to reveal the possible mechanism of high performance perovskite-sensitized solar cell results. It is found that the crystal structure and surface morphology are effectively improved by the room-temperature repair of methylamine atmosphere. The preferred 110 orientation results in a slightly larger band gap, which may contribute to the better energy level matching and carrier transport. Further investigations on relaxation time and electron mobility confirm the significantly enhanced carrier diffusion length, revealing the important role of optimized crystallization on charge transport properties, which may be helpful to seek high-powered perovskite solar cells by optimizing the perovskite synthetic process.