Objective To sequence and analyze the complete genome of two human coronavirus NL63 (HCoV-NL63) strains collected from Beijing Children Hospital .Methods Eighteen pairs of primers were designed according to the gene sequences of HCoV-NL63 reference strain ( HCoV-NL63_Amsterdam 1) and used to amplify the target fragments covering the complete genome of HCoV-NL63 strains.Rapid ampli-fication of cDNA ends ( RACE) and RT-PCR assays were used to amplify the full length genome of HCoV-NL63 strains.Phylogenetic analysis was conducted by using Mega 5.0 software.Results The complete ge-nome sequences of the two HCoV-NL63 strains were 27 538 bp in length, showing a homology of 99.1%in nucleotide sequences .There were 15 consecutive bases deleted from 1a region.The systematic phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that four genotypes of NL 63 virus including A , B, C and D have been identified , and two domestic strains were belonged to the new genotype D .Conclusion The complete genome sequences of two domestic HCoV-NL63 isolates were identified for the first time .This study provided evidence for further investigation on molecular epidemiology of HCoV-NL63 in China .

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of Jin’s three-needle acupuncture plus intelligence training in treating mental retardation in children under 6 years old. Methods Three hundred mental retardation patients aged 0 to 6 were randomly allocated, according to their parents’ willingness, to treatment and control groups, 150 cases each. The treatment group received Jin’s three-needle acupuncture plus intelligence training and the control group, intelligence training alone. An assessment was made using Chinese revised version of the Gesell Developmental Schedules in both groups before and after treatment.Results The total efficacy rate was 84.7% in the treatment group and 73.3% in the control group; there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups (P<0.05). The total efficacy rates in liver-kidney deficiency, heart-spleen deficiency, phlegm and blood stasis, and qi deficiency and blood stasis types were 86.8%, 86.8%, 76.5% and 75.0%, respectively, in the treatment group and 76.2%, 76.8%, 62.5% and 60.0%, respectively, in the control group. There were statistically significant differences in the total efficacy rates in different syndrome types between the two groups (P<0.05). The total efficacy rates in the patients with mild, moderate, severe and very severe diseases were 96.9%, 94.7%, 66.7% and 44.4%, respectively, in the treatment group and 90.0%, 82.5%, 47.8% and 35.3%, respectively, in the control group. There was a statistically significant difference in the total efficacy rate between the two groups of patients with moderate, severe or very severe disease (P<0.05).Conclusion Jin’s three-needle acupuncture plus intelligence training is an effective way to treat mental retardation in children.