Objective To investigate the effects of melatonin on choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) in the hippocampus of rats after isoflurane anesthesia.Methods Sixty male SD rats weighing 390-440 g were randomized into five groups (n =12 each):control group (group C),1％ isoflurane group (group Ⅰ),1％ isoflurane + melatonin group (group IM),2％ isoflurane group (group J) and 2％ isoflurane + melatonin group (group JM).Rats in groups IM and JM received intraperitoneal injection of melatonin (10 mg/kg) for 7 days,and rats in other groups received normal saline.On the 7th day of injection,rats in groups Ⅰ and IM inhaled 1％ isoflurane for 4 hours,and rats in groups J and JM inhaled 2％ isoflurane for 4 hours.One day after anesthesia,all the rats began Morris water maze to assess the learning and memory ability,which was made for continuous 5 days.At the end of probe test,6 rats in each group were randomly selected,blood samples were collected to detect plasma melatonin level,and the hippocampi were removed to evaluate the expression and activity of ChAT.The other rats were sacrificed to perform immunofluorescence to detect ChAT in hippocampal CA1 region and dentate gyrus.Results The plasma melatonin level,and the expression and activity of ChAT were significantly lower in group Ⅰ than in group C (P ＜ 0.01).The escape latency was significantly longer,the probe time was significantly shorter,and the plasma melatonin level and the expression and activity of ChAT were significantly lower in group J than in group C (P ＜ 0.05 or 0.01).The escape latency was significantly shorter,the probe time was significantly longer,and the plasma melatonin level and the expression and activity of ChAT were significantly higher in group IM than in group Ⅰ (P ＜ 0.05 or 0.01).The escape latency was significantly shorter,and the plasma melatonin level and the ChAT activity were significantly higher in group JM than in group J (P＜ 0.05 or 0.01).Conclusion Melatonin can attenuate isoflurane-induced ChAT inhibition and thus improve the cognitive function of rats after isoflurane anesthesia.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate Norovirus infection status among patients with virus diarrhea in Xiamen city and provide evidence for exploring the prevalence characteristics and constituting appropriate control strategy.From April 2007 to July 2008,323 fecal samples of virus diarrhea cases collected from 3 surveillance hospitals in Xiamen were detected for antigen and RNA by ELISA and Real-Time RT-PCR respectively.The RdPd genes from some samples were furtherly amplified and sequenced for genogroup identification when the Real-Time RT-PCR detection results were positive.In the 323 fecal specimens,68 (21.05%) were positive for Norovirus antigen by ELISA and 107 (31.13%) were positive for Norovirus RNA by Real-Time RT-PCR.The overall positive prevalence rate of Norovirus in Xiamen was 38.08%.107 positive specimens were detected by Real-Time RT-PCR and results showed that 80 strains were Norovirus GGⅡ(74.77%),2 strains were GGⅠ(1.87%) and 25 strains (23.36%)were unidentified.It's indicated that Norovirus infection in Xiamen district was mainly caused by Norovirus GGⅡ,and Norovirus was also the main cause for virus diarrhea.

Objective To investigate the effects of melatonin on choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) in rat hippocampus after isoflurane anesthesia. Methods Sixty male SD rats weighing 390 - 440 g were randomized into 5 groups (n = 12 each): control group (group C), 1% isoflurane group (group Ⅰ), 1% isoflurane + melatonin group (group IM) , 2% isoflurane group (group J) and 2% isoflurane + melatonin group (group JM) . In IM and JM groups, melatonin 10 mg/kg was administered intraperitoneally once a day for 7 consecutive days, while equal volume of normal saline was given intraperitoneally instead of melatonin in C, I and J groups. Groups Ⅰ and IM inhaled 1% isoflurane and groups J and JM 2% isoflurane for 4 h on 7th day. All the rats underwent Morris water maze test on the day after anesthesia for assessment of learning and memory ability (escape latency and probe time) . The training test was performed 4 times a day for S days. Six rats randomly selected from each group were sacrificed the end of the test. The blood samples were collected for detection of plasma melatonin level by ELISA.The brain tissues were removed for determination of the expression and activity of ChAT in hippocampus by Western blot or colorimetric assay. The left rats were selected and sacrificed for determination of the number of ChAT positive neurons in hippocampal CA1 region and entate gyrus by immunofluorescence. Results The plasma melatonin level and expression and activity of ChAT were significantly lower in group I than in group C ( P ＜ 0.01) . The escape latency was significantly longer, the probe time was significantly shorter, and the plasma melatonin level and expression and activity of ChAT were significantly lower in group J than in group C ( P ＜ 0.05 or 0.01) . The escape latency was significantly shorter, the probe time was significantly longer, and the plasma melatonin level and expression and activity of ChAT were significantly higher in group IM than in group Ⅰ ( P ＜ 0.05 or 0.01). The escape latency was significantly shorter and the plasma melatonin level and ChAT activity were significantly higher in group JM than in group J ( P ＜ 0.05 or 0.01) . The results of immunofluorescent staining showed that the number of ChAT positive neurons in hippocampal CA1 region and dentate gyrus wag consistent with the changes in the measured ChAT expression. Conclusion Melatonin can reduce isoflurane-mediated inhibition of ChAT expression and activity and thus improve spatial memory impaired by isoflurane anesthesia in rats.

At present, the cats play a more and more important role in medical experiments as an experimental animal,especially for the studies of neurology,physiology and toxicology. Compared with rodent animals,the physiological characteristics, anatomical features, pathological and biochemical reactions of cats are closer to human beings, and compared with the primate animals,they have advantages of economy,abundant resources and so on. Therefore,cat has an extensive application prospect in animal models of human diseases. This article mainly reviews and summarizes the establishing method and research status of cats as an animal model of human diseases in ophthalmology, nervous system, tumor and other fields in recent years.

Digital PCR is an emerging analysis technology for absolute quantification after realtime-PCR. Through digital PCR, single DNA molecules are distributed into isolated reactions, and the product with fluorescence signal can be detected and analyzed after amplification. With the advantages of higher sensitivity and accuracy, digital PCR, independent of a standard curve, is developing rapidly and applied widely to the next generation sequencing and detection fields, such as gene mutation, copy number variation, microorganism, and genetically modified food. In this article, we reviewed the quantitative method and research progress of digital PCR technology in the main application fields.

Objective To assess the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)of biliverdin reductase A (BLVRA) with neonatal hyperbilirubinemia from Fujian area.Methods A total of 286 patients with neonatal hyperbilirubinemia and 250 healthy controls were enrolled.Genotypes of 5 SNPs within BLVRA gene including rs699512,rs1802846,rs7738,rs1637530 and rs2302032 were determined with matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization/time of flight mass spectrometer.The frequencies of genotype,allele,haplotype and their differentiations were analyzed.Results All 5 SNPs had conformed to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (all P ＞ 0.05).rs699512 and rs1637530 showed a significant difference between the 2 groups in both allelic and genotypic frequencies (all P ＜ 0.05),but no significant differences were found in the other SNPs(all P ＞ O.05).In recessive model,the frequency of rs699512 GG genotype of patients was significantly lower than that of the healthy control group(OR =0.494,95％ CI:0.276-0.886,P =0.018),while in dominant model,the frequencies of rs699512 GG + AG and rs1637530 TT + CT genotype of patients were significantly lower than that of the healthy control group(OR =0.678,0.627;95％ CI:0.482-0.954,0.444-0.885;P =0.026,0.008).Based on linkage disequilibrium analysis and haplotype construction,rs1637530,rs2302032,rs699512 and rs1802846 locus in the same area.Based on haplotype CGAT,TGGT,CTAT and CGGT had significant differences between the 2 groups (all P ＜ 0.05),and could reduce the risk of high blood bilirubin (OR =0.588,0.687,0.501;95％ CI:0.434-0.797,0.496-0.952,0.250-1.004).Conclusions rs699512 and rs1637530 may be associated with neonatal hyperbilirubinemia,A allele in rs699512 and C allele in rs1637530 may be associated with significantly increased risk of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia.

Objective: To investigate the incidence and pathogen distribution of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) among preterm infants admitted to level Ⅲ neonatal intensive care units (NICU) in China. Method: A prospective study was conducted in 25 level Ⅲ NICU, enrolling all preterm infants <34 weeks gestational age admitted to the participating NICU within the first 7 days of life from May 2015 to April 2016. Chi-square test, t test and Mann-Whitney U test were used for statistical analysis. Result: A total of 7 918 patients were enrolled, within whom 4 623(58.4%) were males. The birth weight was (1 639±415) g and the gestational age was (31.4±2.0) weeks; 4 654(58.8%) infants required non-invasive mechanical ventilation and 2 154(27.2%) required intubation. Of all the mechanically ventilated patients, VAP occurred in 95 patients. The overall VAP rate was 7.0 episodes per 1 000 ventilator days, varying from 0 to 34.4 episodes per 1 000 ventilator days in different centers. The incidence of VAP was 9.6 and 6.0 per 1 000 ventilator days in children′s hospitals and maternity-infant hospitals respectively, without significant differences (t=1.002, P=0.327). Gram-negative bacilli (76 strains, 91.6%) were the primary VAP microorganisms, mainly Acinetobacter baumannii (24 strains, 28.9%), Klebsiella pneumonia (23 strains, 27.7%), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (10 strains, 12.0%). Conclusion The incidence of VAP in China is similar to that in developed counties, with substantial variability in different NICU settings. More efforts are needed to monitor and evaluate the preventable factors associated with VAP and conduct interventions that could effectively reduce the occurrence of VAP.

Background Both domestic and foreign studies on the diet quality of patients with thyroid nodules are rare at present, and the relationship between thyroid nodules and diet quality is still unclear. Objective This study aims to evaluate the diet quality of thyroid nodules with the China Healthy Diet Index (CHDI) and to explore the relationship between diet quality and thyroid nodules. Methods We conducted a hospital-based case-control study in which 387 patients with thyroid nodules were matched individually (1∶1) by gender and age (±3 years) to the controls who ordered a routine physical examine and with negative thyroid nodules reported by B-ultrasound in the same hospital. A structured questionnaire was applied to collect data on general characteristics and diet. CHDI was employed to evaluate the diet quality of the two groups. CHDI is based on the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents and the recommended food intake in the balanced diet pagoda, combined with the dietary nutritional status of Chinese population. The index contains 13 scoring components, and the highest total score is 100, with a higher score representing better dietary quality. CHDI scores < 60, 60-<80, and ≥80 are recognized as unqualified, qualified, and good diet quality, respectively. Results The scores of the thyroid nodule cases were lower than the scores of the controls in total vegetables, dark vegetables, fruits, and fish/shrimps (all Ps<0.05). The nonparametric test results found that there were significant differences in the distributions of scores in total vegetables, dark vegetables, fruits, soybeans, and fish/shrimps between the case and the control groups (all Ps<0.05). The percentages reaching the full scores in food variety, meat and eggs, and empty calories in both groups exceeded 60%, while the percentages reaching the full scores in whole grains/beans/tubers, dairy, soybeans, and sodium were lower than 30% in the two groups. The median CHDI scores of the thyroid nodule cases and the controls were 69.1 and 72.9, respectively; the cases' CHDI score was lower than the controls' (P<0.05). The proportions of unqualified diet in the case and the control groups accounted for 23.0% and 13.7% respectively (P=0.001). After being adjusted for education level, marital status, occupation, monthly household income per capita, body mass index, hypertension/diabetes, energy, and iodine intake, the results of logistic regression analysis showed that the risk for thyroid nodules was negatively associated with CHDI score (CHDI qualified group vs. CHDI unqualified group, OR=0.484, 95%CI: 0.291-0.804; CHDI good dietary quality group vs. CHDI unqualified group, OR=0.414, 95%CI: 0.230−0.746). Conclusion The diet quality of patients with thyroid nodules is lower than that of the control group, as the former reported lower consumptions of total vegetables, dark vegetables, fruits, and fish/shrimps. Those who have good or qualified diet quality show a reduced risk of thyroid nodules than those with unqualified dietary quality.