Objective To survey and analyze characteristics of brucellosis epidemic in Weinan city of Shaanxi province for the purpose of setting up prevention and control measures for the disease. Methods According to "The Executing Plan for the Work of Surveying Brucellosis Disease in Shaanxi Province", 35 villages(towns) of designated monitoring locations and 24 villages (towns) of randomized monitoring locations in five countries of Weinan were chosen to survey brucellosis disease. The five countries were Chengcheng, Dali, Heyang, Tongguan and Hancheng. High risk populations with a history of contacting livestock and livestock products aged between 7 and 60 underwent clinical and serology examination[rose bengal plate agglutination test(RBPT) and standard tube agglutination test(SAT)]. All manipulation methods and judging standards were in accord with the "Diagnostic Standard for Brucellosis" (WS 269-2007). Results In the designated monitoring location, a total of 8664 people at high risk were investigated, among whom 1407 people were tested by RBPT test and 27 people were positive,the positive rate was 1.92%(27/1407); 27 people were tested by SAT test and 27 people were positive, the positive rate was 100% (27/27); 25 people were diagnosed and the diagnosis rate was 92.59%(25/27). In the randomized monitoring location, a total of 3464 people at high risk were investigated, among whom 411 people were tested by RBPT test and 3 people were positive, the positive rate was 0.73%(3/411 ), 3 people were tested by SAT test which were all positive and made a definite diagnosis. Twenty-eight new cases were made a definite diagnosis and its incidence was 2.06 in a hundred thousand(28/1 361 618). Conclusions The infection of human brucellosis in Weinan city stays at higher level. The governments should increase input for the monitoring,investigating and disinfecting to prevent the disease from increasing and outspreading.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Ascites ; pathology ; Biopsy ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Child ; Cytodiagnosis ; methods ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Humans ; Leukemia-Lymphoma, Adult T-Cell ; pathology ; Lymphoma, B-Cell ; pathology ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse ; pathology ; Lymphoma, T-Cell ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pleural Effusion ; pathology ; Young Adult

A simple and sensitive Reverse Transcription Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification (RT-LAMP) method was established to provide a new alternative for clinical diagnosis of Avian influenza A H5N1 virus. The method employed a set of six specially designed primers that recognized eight distinct sequences of the target for amplification of nucleic acid under isothermal conditions. In current study, fifty-one experimentally infected animal specimens and viral cultures that had been tested were analyzed by RT-LAMP for NA gene and HA gene, respectively. The amplification process of LAMP was monitored in real-time by the addition of SYBR Green dye. Meanwhile, the result showed high correlation between nested PCR and RT-LAMP. The specificity of the RT-LAMP assay was confirmed by restriction enzyme digestion analysis and sequencing of the amplified product. When the sensitivity of this assay was tested by serial 10-fold dilutions of RNA molecules from specimens, it was found that the RT-LAMP method achieved theoretically a sensitivity of 10 RNA molecules. Thus, we concluded that the RT-LAMP assay has potential usefulness for rapid detection of the Avian influenza A H5N1 virus.
Animals ; Birds ; Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Influenza in Birds ; diagnosis ; virology ; Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques ; methods ; Reproducibility of Results ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; methods ; Sensitivity and Specificity

OBJECTIVETo observe the clinical effect of indwelling the anterior urethral stent in the treatment of anterior urethral stricture.

METHODSWe included 38 patients with anterior urethral stricture in the treatment group, and another 38 in the control, the former treated by indwelling the anterior urethral stent, and the latter by urethral dilatation. Then we analyzed the clinical results by comparing the Qmax, urinary hesitancy and numbers of urethral dilations between the two groups.

RESULTSCompared with the controls, the patients of the treatment group showed an obvious increase in Qmax, a significant decrease in the number of urethral dilatations, and a marked improvement of the quality of life. Six months after the stent removal, there were significantly more patients with Qmax > 15 ml/s in the treatment group than in the control (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONIndwelling the anterior urethral stent is a desirable option for the treatment of anterior urethral stricture, which is simple, safe, effective and reliable, and can be applied to general clinical practice.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Stents ; Treatment Outcome ; Urethra ; surgery ; Urethral Stricture ; surgery

OBJECTIVETo explore the therapeutic effect and mechanism of abdominal acupuncture for cervical spondylosis of vertebral artery type.

METHODSThirty cases of cervical vertigo, in which the color ultrasonography indicated vertebral arterial blood insufficiency, were treated with abdominal acupuncture therapy. The points were Zhongwan (CV 12), Qihai (CV 6), Guanyuan (CV 4), Xiawan (CV 10), Shangqu (KI 17) and Huaroumen (ST 24). The treatment was given once every day and five continuous treatments made one session. Separately, before treatment and in the 1st and 5th treatments, the cervical vertigo symptom and functional assessment scales were adopted for scoring. Simultaneously, the color ultrasonography was applied to observe the blood flow changes of the bilateral cervical arteries.

RESULTSExcept the score for headache in the 1st treatment, the scores in cervical vertigo and function assessment scale in the 1st and 5th treatments were all improved significantly in 30 patients as compared with those before treatment (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). In the 1st and 5th treatments, on the affected side, the vertebral artery diameter, mean velocity and blood flow per minute were all improved significantly as compared with those before treatment (all P < 0.01). In one session treatment, the total effective rate was 100.0% (30/30) and the curative rate was 60.0% (18/30).

CONCLUSIONAbdominal acupuncture therapy not only relieves the clinical symptoms, but also improves vertebral arterial blood supply for the patients of cervical spondylosis of vertebral artery type.

Abdomen ; Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Regional Blood Flow ; Spondylosis ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Treatment Outcome ; Vertebral Artery ; physiopathology ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo establish a cell model of secreted alkaline phosphatase (SEAP) co-controlled by HCV 5'NCR and NS3 serine protease in an effort to develop new antiviral agents.

METHODSThe fragments of HCV 5'NCR and NS3/4A-SEAP were amplified by PCR. They were fused into pBluescript SK+ to generate 5'NCR-NS3/4A-SEAP chimeric plasmid. The resulting chimeric gene was subcloned into HindIII/Bsu36 I site of pSEAP2-Control (a SEAP eukaryotic expression plasmid), to generate pNCR-NS3/4A-SEAP, in which the SEAP was fused in-frame to the downstream of NS4A/4B cleavage site. The SEAP activity in the culture media of transiently transfected cells was monitored quantitatively. The regulatory effect of HCV 5'NCR and NS3 serine protease on SEAP expression was measured by treatment of transfected cells with antisense oligodeoxynucleotide (ASODN) against HCV 5'NCR and TPCK, a irreversible serine protease inhibitor.

RESULTSThe SEAP activity in the culture media reached 80801+/-4794 RLU, and was significantly inhibited by 5 micromol/L, 10 micromol/L of ASODN (t=4.315, p<0.01; t=6.985, p<0.001) and 100 micromol/L of TPCK (t=6.949, P<0.001).

CONCLUSIONA cell model of SEAP co-controlled by HCV 5'NCR and NS3 serine protease has been successfully established. This might promote the screening of anti-viral drugs

Alkaline Phosphatase ; secretion ; Antiviral Agents ; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical ; Hepacivirus ; genetics ; Hepatocytes ; enzymology ; virology ; Humans ; Recombinant Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Serine Endopeptidases ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Viral Nonstructural Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics

DNA, Viral ; chemistry ; Humans ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Torque teno virus ; classification ; genetics

OBJECTIVESTo study the relationship between quasispecies of hepatitis B virus and the clinical manifestations of their infection, and to find the answer of why different quasispecies of HBV with the same genotype can induce different clinical situations.

METHODSSixty serum samples, in all of which HBVs of genotype B exist, taken from 32 chronic asymptomatic carriers and 28 severe chronic hepatitis patients, were collected to detect quasispecies of HBV DNA by melt curve approach. Then the relationship between quasispecies of HBV of the same genotype and the clinical situation of their infection was studied by comparing the wave crests of the two sample groups.

RESULTSThe data of the 60 serum samples of HBV of genotype B detected by melt curve showed that HBV DNA in severe chronic hepatitis patients had more wave crests than that in chronic asymptomatic carriers (P < 0.05), suggesting that HBV in severe chronic hepatitis patients had more quasispecies than in the chronic asymptomatic carriers.

CONCLUSIONThe numbers of quasispecies of HBV correlate with the clinical situations of their infection. In the patients infected by HBV of the same genotype, those who have more HBV quasispecies would have more severe clinical manifestations.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Female ; Genotype ; Hepatitis B virus ; classification ; genetics ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; virology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged

To study the effect of micro (mi)RNA on cellular proliferation induced by hepatitis B x protein, HBx, in human liver cells and to investigate the underlying molecular mechanism of this cancer-related effect. The human L02 hepatocyte cell line was stably transfected with HBx (L02/HBx) or an HBx mutant (L02/HBx-d382) that induces higher levels of cellular proliferation. The differential miRNA expression profiles were determined by microarray analysis and confirmed by real-time PCR. Two miRNAs, miR-338-3p and miR-551b, that were found to be significantly down-regulated in the L02/HBx-d382 cells were selected for further study and transfected individually into cells using the lipofectamine procedure. The cell survival rate was analyzed by MTT assay, and cell cycles were assessed by flow cytometry. Expressions of cyclinD1, cyclinG1, and E2F1 were assessed by real-time PCR and Western blotting. Compared with the microarray miRNA profile of L02/pcDNA3.0 cells, six miRNAs were up-regulated and five miRNAs were down-regulated in the L02/HBx-d382 cells, while four miRNAs were up-regulated and 12 were down-regulated in the L02/HBx cells. The microarray results were consistent with real-time PCR results. Transfection of miR-338-3p and miR-551b significantly inhibited the cell survival rates (P less than 0.001) and induced G0/G1 phase cycle arrest. According to MTT results: for L02/HBx-d382 cells, compared with lipofectamine or non-transfected (NC) controls, the t value of miR-338-3p was 10.402, 9.133 and the t value of miR-551b was 8.763, 7.403; for L02/HBx cells, compared with lipofectamine or NC controls, the t value of miR-338-3p was 9.105, 8.074 and the t value of miR-551b was 7.673, 7.52. According to flow cytometry results: for L02/HBx-d382 cells, compared with lipofectamine or NC controls, the t value of miR-338-3p was 12.173, 11.107 and the t value of miR-551b was 15.364, 13.377; for L02/HBx cells, compared with lipofectamine or NC controls, the t value of miR-338-3p was 15.416, 13.378, and the t value of miR-551b was 13.276, 13.109. The protein levels of cyclinD1, cyclinG1, and E2F1 were significantly reduced by both miR-338-3p and miR-551b ( P less than 0.001). For L02/HBx-d382 cells, compared with lipofectamine or NC controls: E2F1 had t = 11.132, 10.031 and 12.017, 10.973, respectively; cyclinD1 had t = 15.654, 15.013 and 15.447, 14.733, respectively; cyclinG1 had t = 8.017, 7.661 and 7.402, 7.417, respectively. For L02/HBx cells, compared with lipofectamine or NC controls: E2F1 had t = 14.244, 13.331 and 15.022, 14.468, respectively; cyclinD1 had t = 8.695, 8.137 and 7.877, 7.503, respectively; cyclinG1 had t = 7.73, 7.471 and 7.596, 7.41, respectively. In contrast, the mRNA levels for E2F1, cyclinD1, and cylcinG1 showed no significant differences between the miRNA transfected cells and controls. Wild-type HBx and the high proliferation-inducing mutant HBx can influence the miRNA expression profile of L02 cells. HBx down-regulates miR-338-3p and miR-551b in L02 cells, and the high proliferation-inducing mutant has a more robust effect. The mechanism of miR-338-3p- or miR-551b-mediated cell growth inhibition appears to be related to the direct modulation of cyclinD1, cyclinG1, and E2F1.
Blotting, Western ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cell Cycle ; Cell Line ; Cell Proliferation ; Cyclins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Genes, Viral ; Hepatitis B virus ; genetics ; metabolism ; Hepatocytes ; metabolism ; pathology ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; MicroRNAs ; genetics ; metabolism ; Mutation ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Trans-Activators ; genetics ; metabolism ; Transfection

PURPOSE: To evaluate the sealing performance of Hybrid Coat and its influence on the shear bond strength of five dentin surface cements. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Six premolars were pretreated to expose the dentin surface prior to the application of Hybrid Coat. The microscopic characteristics of the dentinal surfaces were examined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Then, 40 premolars were sectioned longitudinally, and 80 semi-sections were divided into a control group (untreated) and a study group (treated by Hybrid Coat). Alloy restoration was bonded to the teeth specimen using five different cements. Shear bond strength was measured by the universal testing machine. The fracture patterns and the adhesive interface were observed using astereomicroscope. RESULTS: SEM revealed that the lumens of dentinal tubules were completely occluded by Hybrid Coat. The Hybrid Coat significantly improved the shear bond strength of resin-modified glass ionomer cement (RMGIC) and resin cement (RC) but weakened the performance of zinc phosphate cement (ZPC), zinc polycarboxylate cement (ZPCC) and glass ionomer cement (GIC). CONCLUSION: Hybrid Coat is an effective dentinal tubule sealant, and therefore its combined use with resin or resin-modified glass ionomer cements can be applied for the prostheses attachment purpose.
Adhesives ; Alloys ; Bicuspid ; Dentin ; Glass Ionomer Cements ; In Vitro Techniques* ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ; Polycarboxylate Cement ; Prostheses and Implants ; Resin Cements ; Tooth ; Zinc Phosphate Cement