Objective To observe the change of housefly (Musca domestica) breeding in the pig manure treated ecologically with its larvae. Methods The number of eggs and the hatching rate of larvae in the treated manure were compared with that in the untreated manure. Results The number of eggs laid in the treated manure accounted for only 17^7% of the total eggs, while those in the untreated manure accounted for 82^3%. The hatching rate in the treated manure was 41^4%, but 85^1% in the untreated manure. Conclusion There is a significant reduction of eggs laid and of their hatching rate in the pig manure treated ecologically by housefly larvae.

Objective To study the relationship between viral infection and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),and the effect of viral infections on the changes of Th1/Th2 in COPD patients. Methods The se-ra from 81 patients with acute exacerbations of COPD,25 patients with stable COPD and 22 healthy subjects were tested for specific IgM of respiratary syncytial virus(RSV) ,herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), parainfluenza vi-rus (PIV), adenovirus (ADV) and cytomegalovirus (CMV) by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Supernatant INF-γ and IL-4 cultured with PHA were determined. Results The positive rates of IgM in patients with acute exacerbations of COPD compared with those in patients with stable COPD and healthy subjects were significantly different(P <0.001 ). The level of INF-γ, and IL-4 in patients with acute exacerbations of COPD and stable COPD compared with normal control group;the level of INF-γ (242±43) and the of IL-4(42±9) in pa-tients with acute exacerbations of COPD was not significantly different as compared with the level of INF-γ( 198±32) and the level of IL-4(56±11 ) in patients with stable COPD (P<0.05), but the level of INF-γ was increased (90±18)and IL-4 was decreased (141±24) in control group (P<0.05). Compared with those in IgM negative group, the levels of INF-γ were significantly higher and the levels of IL-4 were significantly lowerIL-4 in lgM positive group( P<0.01 ). Conclusion Virus infection is a rather important factor in acute exacerbations of COPD, and COPD is characterized by a predominance of Th1-type response,and there is more significant Th1 response predomi-nance in COPD with virus infection.

OBJECTIVETo assess the feasibility of using saliva for Schistosomiasis japonica diagnosis.

METHODSSchistosoma japonicum infected animal model was established. Pairs of saliva and serum samples from rabbits and chronic schistosomiasis patients were collected. Anti-schistosoma specific antibodies in saliva and serum were detected by indirect ELISA.

RESULTSThe specificities of antibody detection of rabbit saliva and serum were 93% (28/30) and 97% (29/30), respectively, and the sensitivities of antibody detection of rabbit serum and saliva were 100% (24/24) and 88% (21/24), respectively. A significant correlation (r = 0.5307, P = 0.0038 < 0.05) existed between anti-SEA IgG levels in serum and saliva. As with those in serum, anti-SEA IgG levels in saliva could reflect the state of infection and treatment. The sensitivity of antibody detection was 91% (29/32) for patient saliva samples and 100% (32/32) for their sera. 8 samples were positive in 140 normal saliva samples (i.e. 6% false positive rate) and 6 samples were positive in 156 normal serum samples (4% false positive rate). There was a significant correlation (r = 0.4227, P = 0.008 < 0.05) between specific antibodies in saliva and serum.

CONCLUSIONThe detection of specific antibodies in saliva can be used as a non-invasive immunodiagnosis method of Schistosomiasis japonica.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Animals ; Antibodies, Helminth ; analysis ; Child ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; analysis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Rabbits ; Saliva ; immunology ; Schistosoma japonicum ; immunology ; Schistosomiasis japonica ; diagnosis