Objective To investigate the role of ribosomal protein S7(rpS7) in the defense of Anopheles dirus against infection. Methods rpS7 was amplified from Anopheles dirus hemocytes with degenerated primers designed according to the conservative region of S7, rpS7 was then cloned using T/A cloning kit and the inserted fragment was sequenced. The difference of the transcript abundance of rpS7 from Anopheles dirus hemocyte among non-blood-fed (N), normal-blood-fed (B) and Plasmodium yoelii infected groups (I) was also analyzed by RT-PCR and gel scanning system at d1, d2, d3, d4, d7 and d11 after blood feeding. Results There is no significant difference of rpS7 signal between the three groups. Conclusion Anopheles dirus S7 can be used as an internal control to study the role of Anopheles dirus related immune factors in Plasmodium infection.

Two hours after the rats were infected with 125I - labeled sporozoites of Plasmo-dium yoelii,the sporzoites captured by the liver,the spleen and the lungs accounted for 1.67%,0.046% and 0.49% respectively.During the 2nd to the 18h,the sporozoites decreased in number slowly in the liver,remained unchanged in the spleen and decreased in number quickly in the lungs as time went on.When the liver and the lungs were perfused with quick M199 stream containing sporozoites,the capture rate of sporozoites was not affected in the liver but that of the lungs was markedly decreased.The numbr of sporozoites in the liver and the spleen was larger in those rats with their phagocytosis activated than in those with the phagocytosis inhibited.while in the lungs,the number of sporozoites was not influenced by the activity of macrophages.These findings suggest that the mechanism of capturing sporozoites in the lung is mainly mechanical and the alveolar macrophages play little role in that,but that in the liver and the spleen is mainly a biological process in which macrophages play an important role.

The aim of this study was to investigate if there are abnormal fibroblasts derived from the skin surrounding keloids in order to have a better understanding for keloid progression. All the samples were used for cell culture. Flow cytometry was used to compare the apoptotic rate of fibroblasts derived from keloid and its surrounding skin, when it was cultured in serum-deprived medium for 24 hours or was induced by Fas antibody. After cultured in serum-deprived medium for 24 hours, the apoptotic rate of fibroblasts derived from the surrounding skin of keloid increased to an amount between that of normal skin and keloids. The apoptotic rate of normal skin fibroblasts increased more than that of keloids. Moreover, when induced by Fas antibody, the apoptotic rate of fibroblasts derived from the surrounding skin increased not so high as that of normal skin(P0. 05). Therefore, at least there are some fibroblasts in the surrounding skin of keloids, in which apoptosis can not be induced as in normal skin.

Objective To investigate the value of echocardiography in the diagnosis of interrupted aortic arch (IAA). Methods Forty-three children that diagnosed as IAA by transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) were reviewed. The results of CTA (CT Angiography) and operation also were compared. Results Among the 43 children, 41 was admitted as IAA by operation and 2 were diagnosed as coarctation of aorta. According to the type of IAA, 25 cases were diagnosed as type A, 13 cases were diagnosed as type B, 3 cases were diagnosed as type C. Thirty-ifve cases were diagnosed by TTE correctly, 3 cases were misdiagnosed by TTE, 4 cases were suspected as IAA by TTE and ifnally conifrmed by operation. The accuracy rate was 81%(35/43). Among the 35 deifnite diagnosed cases, corrected typing cases were 30, the accuracy rate was 86%(30/35). The accuracy rate of type A, B, C were 96%(23/24), 64%(7/11) and 0. According to the results of CTA, 40 cases were diagnosed correctly, 1 case was misdiagnosed. The accuracy rate was 98%(40/41). Among the deifnite diagnosed cases, corrected typing rate was the same with operation result. Conclusions TTE is the ifrst choice for the detection of IAA. During TTE, in case the indistinct display of aortic arch, CTA should be used to improve the accuracy rate of IAA.

BACKGROUND:Keloid is the outcome of wound-healing process,and the result of massive accumulation of life-prolonged fibroblasts with gene mutation as well as the excessive synthesis of collagenous fibers.OBJECTIVE:To probe the relationship between the fibroblasts and the mutations of the exon-8 of Fas gene in keloid.DESIGN:An open study with gene sequence as the subjects of observation.SETTING :The Department of Plastic Surgery of Southern Hospital of the First Military Medical University.PARTICIPANTS:This experiment was carried out at the Tropical Disease Research Institute of the First Military Medical University of Chinese PLA in 2001. All keloid and hypertrophic scar tissues were obtained from the patients who received orthopedic surgical operations at the Southern Hospital, including 15 patients with keloid whose pathological areas were located respectively at the earlobe and the prothorax and 12patients with hypertrophic scars whose pathological areas being located at the instep and the elbow. At the same time, normal skin and the peripheral blood samples from the patients themselves with keloid were taken as the self-control and the skin and the peripheral blood samples from the normal people and the patients with hypertrophic scars were taken as the normal control.METHODS: PCR-SCCM technique and gene sequence analysis were used to detect the gene structure of exon-8 in the Fas gene from 15 patients.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:The gene structure of exon-8 in the Fas gene derived from the tissues and the peripheral blood samples of all the groups.RESULTS: ① Heterozygous loss was observed in the exon-8 of the Fas gene in all 15 keloid patients; ② Gene sequence was found to be abnormal in 11 cases out of 15 keloid patients, presenting gene mutation in 4 loci.CONCLUSION: Heterozygous loss and gene mutation was detected in the exon 8 of Fas gene of keloid, suggesting that Fas protein in keloid has functional defect that is closely associated with gene mutation.

BACKGROUND:Keloid is the outcome of wound-healing process,and the result of massive accumulation of life-prolonged fibroblasts with gene mutation as well as the excessive synthesis of collagenous fibers.OBJECTIVE:To probe into the structural relations of exons 7-9 of fibroblastic Fas gene in keloid tissues.DESIGN:A self-controlled experimental study with cicatricial tissues as the subjects.SETTING:Department of Plastic Surgery of Southern Hospital of the First Military Medical University of Chinese PLA.PARTICIPANTS:This experiment was carried out at the Tropical Disease Research Institute of the First Military Medical University of Chinese PLA in 2001. All keloid and hypertrophic scar tissues were obtained from the patients who received orthopedic surgical operations at the Southern Hospital, including 15 patients with keloid and 12 patients with hypertrophic Scars. Normal skin and peripheral blood were obtained from the keloid patients as self-control. Meanwhile pathological tissues and normal skin and peripheral blood were obtained from patients with hypertrophic scars as normal control.INTERVENTION:PCR-single strand conformation polymorphism was used to find the structure of the exons 7-9 in Fas gene in15 patients with keloid.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:The structure of the exons 7-9 in Fas gene.RESULTS:Heterozygous loss of Fas gene exon-8 was observed in all the 15 keloid patients, and 20% of them displayed an increase in exon-9 allele band.CONCLUSION: The genetic structure of Fas gene showed no mutation in hypertrophic scars, normal skin and the peripheral blood,but mutations were detected in exons-8 ,and -9 of Fas gene in keloid. This was closely related with the disfunction of its encoded proteins.

ObjectiveTo study the symptom dimensions of obsessive-compulsive disorder(OCD) of Chinese patients.MethodsThis study examined apriori categories used to group types of obsessions and compulsions in the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale symptom checklist,in a group of Chinese patients with OCD ( n=536).A principal-components factor analysis with a varimax rotation was performed.ResultsFive factors( explaining)-hoarding( 16.17％ ),contamination/cleaning ( 13.65％ ),symmetry/ordering( 12.82％ ),aggressive/checking( 10.44％ ),somatic/repeating(8.38％ )-emerged in this analysis,in total accounting for more than 60％ of the variance.ConclusionThe result suggests a multidimensional model of Chinese OCD patients and these five factors may be helpful in identifing the subtype of OCD.

Objective To study the change of intracellular free Ca2+ in the oocyst when it melanized and to find out the relationship between the melanized oocyst and its intracellular level of free Ca2+ in a Plasmodium-refractory strain of Anopheles dirus. Methods The distribution and experimental condition of the intracellular free Ca2+ in oocyst of Plasmodium yoelii was measured with Ca2+ sensitive dye Fluo-3/AM and Plutonic F-127 under confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) at different time. Results The best load condition was that the oocysts were incubated in 3 ?mol/ml Fluo-3/AM adding 1 ?l/ml 25% Pluronic F-127 for 60 min at 37 ℃ . Fluorescent imaging of oocysts was affected by an increase or decrease of the concentration of Fluo-3/Am and incubation time. The distribution of intracellular free Ca2+ was heterogeneous in the oocysts. The mean value of Ca2 + in the mature oocysts was (137.15 ?7.02) nmol/L(X?S) but was (18.44? 1.75) nmol/L in melanized oocysts with Ca2+ sedimentation in the wall of oocyst. Conclusion The results suggest that the level of the intracellular free Ca2+ in oocyst decreased and excreted during its melanization in a Plasmodium-reiractory anopheline mosquito species.

Objective To observe the role of resting metabolic rate (RMR) in evaluation of animal model of glucocorticoid-induced Kidney Yin deficiency and Kidney Yang deficiency syndrome.Methods Male BALB/c mice were divided into control group,model group,Jinkuishenqi pill group,and Zhibaidihuang pill group.The later 3 groups were given drinking water containing corticosterone (first dissolved in 1% ethanol,with a final concentration of corticosterone 100 μg/mL).The control group was given drinking water containing 1% ethanol.RMR was measured by closed fluid pressure respirometer.At the end of the experiment,the mice were sacrificed to detect the weight index of perirenal fat,epididymal fat,quadriceps,and tibialis anterior muscle.ELISA assay was used to detect the level of serum hormones.Histological changes of the liver and kidney were examined by HE staining.Malondialdehyde (MDA) content,succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) activity,cytochrome c oxidase (COX) activity and ATP level were measured.Results Compared with the control group,the RMR of model group was significantly increased at the 2nd day of beginning of the experiment,reached the highest on the 4th day (P<0.01),then decreased gradually,and to the 66th day,the RMR was significantly reduced (P<0.05).Use of corticosterone resulted in decrease of the serum levels of thyroxine (T4),muscle mass index,SDH activity,COX activity and ATP level,while increase of fat mass index and MDA level.The two Kidney nourishing prescriptions reduced animal mortality,and reduced the content of MDA in liver tissue.But only Jinkuishenqi pill increased the RMR at the 4th and 66th days (P<0.05),and significantly improved the liver SDH activity,COX activity and ATP level (P<0.01).The Zhibaidihuang pill showed no such effects.Conclusions RMR can be used for evaluation of animal model of Kidney Yin or Kidney Yang deficiency induced by glucocorticoids.

Objective To analyze the relationship between the TEP1 gene of Anopheles stephensi and melanotic encapsulation of Plasmodium yoelii induced by anti-malaria drug nitroquine. Methods Haemolymph samples from three groups of An. stephensi fed with sucrose solution, Plasmodium-infected blood and nitroquine, respectively, were collected at the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th day after drug adminstration. Degenerate primers were designed according to the conserved amino acid sequence within TEPs of the mosquitoes. Fluorescent quantitation PCR was used to detect the variation of TEP1 gene transcript induced by nitroquine. The melanization of oocysts was observed by light microcopy. Results TEP1 gene was cloned, the predicted amino acid residues harbored a highly conserved canonical thioester motif GCGEQ. The fluorescent quantitation PCR revealed that nitroquine induced an up-regulation of TEP1 activity. The transcription of TEP1 gene in nitroquine treated group (2.423) was significantly higher than that of the infected blood-fed group(1.036) at the 3rd day after nitroquine treatment (P