Objective To establish a mouse model of acute liver failure induced by lipopolysaccharide /D-galac-tosamine ( LPS/D-GalN) .Methods The optimum dose of LPS/D-GalN was determined by i .p.injection of eight differ-ent doses of LPS and D-GalN into 40 female C57BL/6 mice and observation of their survival time .Then, 32 female C57BL/6 mice were i.p.injected with the optimal dose of LPS/D-GalN and sacrificed at 0, 1, 4, 8 hours after the injec-tion, 8 mice in each group.The control mice received saline injection .Hepatic changes were observed by pathology and se-rum ALT, IL-6, MCP-1 and TNF-αwere measured by biochemistry or flow cytometry .Results LPS (2.5 mg/kg) and D-GalN (0.3 g/kg) were determined as the optimal dose for the establishment of mouse model of acute liver injury .Com-pared with the control group , the hepatocellular damages were progressing in a positive correlation with the time course after LPS/D-GalN administration .The level of serum ALT was significantly increased after LPS/D-GalN administration ( P <0.001).The levels of inflammatory cytokines IL-6, MCP-1 and TNF-αwere increased and reached a peak at one hour after LPS/D-GalN administration and then decreased almost to that of the control group 8 hours later(P<0.001).Conclusions The mouse model of acute liver injury is successfully established by LPS /D-GalN administration , and provide an effective animal model for the study of pathogenic mechanisms of acute liver failure and evaluation of therapeutic drugs .

Objective To study the relationship between plasma free fatty acids composition and the incidence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) .Methods By the design of case‐control study ,105 patients with NAFLD as cases and 110 healthy peo‐ple as controls were enrolled into the study .Plasma free fatty acid levels were determined by gas chromatography .Results High level of plasma palmitic acid(C16 :0)(OR=1 .769) was the risk factors of NAFLD ,while plasma levels of linoleic acid(C18 :2 n‐6) (OR=0 .855) and arachidonic acid(C20 :4 n‐6)(OR=0 .181)were negatively associated with the incidence of NAFLD .Conclusion These findings suggest that a proper ratio of diet fatty acids intake may reduce the risk of NAFLD .

Objective To determine the effect of different serum insulin-like growth factor-Ⅰ(IGF-1)levels on mouse cancer.Methods A total of 120 male mice at 6 weeks of age(60 control mice and 60 LID mice)were subcutaneously injected colon tumor CT26 cell line.Each group was random divided into two subgroups respectively,every 10 mice of one subgroup were injected subcutaneously with growth hormone(GH)(1ms/kg)daily from the 10th,14th and18th days respectively until the 22nd days,and the other subgroup received saline injection.Results All mice treated with GH have higher level of IGF-1,compared with those treated with saline.High level of IGF-1 promoted the development of cachexia in these mice treated with GH from the 10th days.However,the level of IGF-1 has negative correlation with the cancer cachexia state for mice treated with GH from the 14th days.Conclusion Circulating IGF-1 and GH play an important role in tumor growth 4nd cachexia development in the early stage of cancer and can ameliorate the state of cachexia in the advanced stage.

Objective To clone and express of Rv0091 encoding protein in Mycobacterium tuberculosis,identify and characterize of the enzyme activities.Methods Construct the Rv0091 prokaryotic expression plasmid,the vector was transformed into E.coli strain BL21trxB.After induced by IPTG,recombinant protein was purified by Ni2+-NTA chromatography and analyzed for purity by SDS-PAGE gels stained with Coomassie Blue.Immunological activity was identified by Western blot.The recombinant protein molecular weight was identified by Mass spectrometry.The enzyme-coupled assay detectes enzyme activity.Results The expression plasmid pET32a-Rv0091 was constructed and expressed in E.coli.BL21trxB,and the optimum expression system was conformed.The purity of the recombinant protein was more than 95％.Western blot analysis confirmed that recombinant protein was one of Mycobacterium tuberculosis proteins.Mass spectrometry identified the relative molecular weight and theoretical molecular weight was basically the same.Enzyme assay showed the recombinant protein able to catalyze the substrate MTA.Enzymatic properties showed that the optimal buffer for the phosphate and Hepes buffer,the poor thermal stability of the enzyme,the optimal temperature of 37℃,optimal pH10-12,when the pH ≤7,the protein denaturation and loss of some vitality.Conclusion The recombinant protein methylthioadenosine nucleosidase(MTAN) was obtained and enzyme activity was detected and plays a key role in the metabolism of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Objective:To investigate the epidemic trend and risk change of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) complicated with malignant tumors after combination antiretroviral therapy (cART).Methods:The types of malignant tumors in patients with AIDS at different stages of cART were analyzed among anti-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive population in Hubei Province screened in National AIDS/HIV prevention and control information system from 1st January, 2004 to 31st December, 2018. The standardized incidence ratios(SIR) of malignant tumors in AIDS patients was analyzed based on the incidence of malignant tumors in the general population in Hubei Province or China in 2013. The changes in risks for development of malignant tumors in AIDS patients at different cART stages from 2004 to 2013 and 2014 to 2018 were compared.Chi-square test was used for statistical analysis.Results:Three hundred and twenty-three out of 22 994 AIDS patients were diagnosed with malignant tumors. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma(NHL) and cervical cancer were most common types in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-defining cancers (ADC), while liver cancers and lung cancers were the most common types in non-acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-defining cancers (NADC). The overall risk of malignancy in AIDS patients was similar to that in the general population (SIR=1.06, χ2=0.62, P=0.426). However, the risks of Kaposi sarcoma, NHL, Hodgkin lymphoma, cervical cancer, and head and face cancers (excepting nasopharyngeal cancer) in AIDS patients were significantly higher than those in the general population (SIR=834.09, 9.65, 13.33, 5.22 and 2.94, respectively, χ2=11 747.27, 625.54, 56.65, 184.21 and 13.66, respectively, all P<0.01). The risks of lung cancer, colorectal anal cancer, stomach cancer and breast cancer in AIDS patients were significantly lower than those in the general population (SIR=0.33, 0.36, 0.43 and 0.45, respectively, χ2=33.43, 12.84, 9.01 and 7.21, respectively, all P<0.05). The SIR of cervical cancer, liver cancer and colorectal anal cancer from 2014 to 2018 were 4.06, 0.43 and 0.10, respectively, which were significantly lower than those from 2004 to 2013 (7.42, 1.96 and 0.84, respectively). The differences were all statistically significant ( χ2=5.39, 19.52 and 10.86, respectively, all P<0.05). Conclusions:At present, there are no significant differences of the incidences of malignant tumors between AIDS patients and general population, but the tumor types are different. The most common malignant tumors in this region are NHL and cervical cancer, which should be noted that HIV screening among patients with such tumors is conducive to comprehensive treatment to improve the efficacy.

Objective To analyze and compare the pathological changes of lung tissue in mice infected with the novel H7N9 influenza virus and 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza virus, respectively, and to preliminarily study the mecha-nisms of acute lung injury induced by those virus infection .Methods SPF 6-week old BALB/c mice ( body weight 18-20 g, male∶female=1∶1) (n=3 in each subgroup) were intranasally infected with H7N9 virus and H1N1 virus, respec-tively.The behavior and survival time of mice after virus infection were observed and the survival rates were analyzed .The heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, intestines, and brain were collected at indicated time points for histopathological exami-nation using H&E staining .The distribution of virus antigen was detected by immunohistochemistry .The neutrophil infiltra-tion was also observed .The correlation of lung injury with virus replication and host immune responses was analyzed .Re-sults The lung and spleen injury of mice infected with H 7N9 virus was slighter and their survival rate (100%) was high-er than those of mice infected with H1N1 virus.The damages of the lung and spleen in H1N1virus-infected mice were more severe than that in H7N9 virus-infected mice, and all the 10 mice in this group died within 9 days after virus inoculation . The distributions of both the virus antigens were mainly in the bronchial epithelial cells , a few stromal cells and alveolar ep-ithelial cells .The levels of virus replication in the two groups were not significantly different .There were more intense neu-trophil infiltration in the lung and inflammatory response in the H 1N1 virus-infected mice than those in the H7N9 virus-in-fected mice .Conclusions There are some differences of the pathological characteristics and extent of lung injury in the mice infected with H7N9 virus and H1N1 virus, respectively.The virus replication is a precipitating factor but not the deci-sive factor of the lung injury , and there is a close relationship between the host immune responses and acute lung injury .

Preeclampsia is the main cause of poor maternal-fetal outcomes. A series of cell and animal experiments, and a small number of clinical studies have shown that pravastatin can prevent and treat preeclampsia by regulating angiogenesis, increasing the expression of heme oxygenase, and stimulating the production of nitric oxide without any reported adverse effects during pregnancy. We review the latest progress on the mechanism, effect, and safety of pravastatin in the prevention and treatment of preeclampsia.

Objective To assess the association between killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) gene polymorphisms and the risk of hypertension in autoimmune mechanism.Methods We conducted a case-control study including 205 hypertensives and 205 controls matched with sex and age,from a community-based population.KIR genes of all subjects were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction with sequence-specific primers (PCR-SSP).Conditional logistic regression model and generalized multifactor dimensionality reduction (GMDR) method were used to estimate the association among KIR gene polymorphisms and the risk of hypertension.Results The genotypic frequencies of KIRs were not significantly different between the hypertensives and the control groups (P＞0.05).Among all the models of GMDR concerning the association between interactions of KIR genes and essential hypertension,the testing accuracy of the interaction between K/R2DS2 and KIR2DS3 was the highest (55.13％),with cross-validation consistency as 10/10 (P=0.054).Results from the conditional logistic regression showed that individuals with KIR2DS2 +:KIR2DS3-were significantly associated with an increased risk on hypertension (OR=2.555,95％CI:1.203-5.429,P=0.015).However,individuals with KIR2DS2 +:KIR2DS3 + were significantly associated with a reduced risk of hypertension (0R=0.268,95％ CI:0.088-0.815,P=0.020).Individuals with KIR2DS2-KIR2DS3 + did not seem to be associated with the risk of hypertension (0R=1.602,95％ C I:0.785-3.266,P=0.195),when compared to the KIR2DS2-KIR2DS3-group.Interactions between KIR2DS2 and KIR2DS3 were significantly associated with the risk of hypertension,after adjusted for BMI,smoking,drinking and family history of hypertension (OR=0.065,95％CI:0.013-0.317,P=0.001).Conclusion Individuals with KIR2DS2 and no KIR2DS3 were associated with the increased risk of hypertension.KIR2DS2 that coexisted with KIR2DS3 were associated with the reduced risk of hypertension.Antagonism between KIR2DS2 and KIR2DS3 might serve as a protect factor for hypertension.

Objective:To analyze the clinical data of 203 discharged patients with corona virus disease 2019(COVID-19), and to investigate the predictors for the severe cases.Methods:Confirmed COVID-19 cases hospitalized at Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University from January 1 to February 1, 2020 were consecutively enrolled, who were divided into severe group and non-severe group.The clinical data of enrolled patients were collected and the clinical manifestations, laboratory results, imaging, treatments and prognosis of patients in the two groups were analyzed. Mann-Whitney U rank sum test and chi-square test were used for statistical analysis. Results:A total of 203 discharged patients with COVID-19 were enrolled. The common clinical manifestations included fever (89.2%, 181/203), dry cough (60.1%, 122/203), chest distress (35.5%, 72/203), shortness of breath(29.1%, 59/203)and myalgia or arthralgia (26.6%, 54/203). The time from disease onset to hospital admission was 5.8 days (1.0 to 20.0 days). Among 203 enrolled patients, 107(52.7%) were divided into severe group and 96(47.3%) were non-severe group. The age in severe group was 60 years (23 to 91 years), which was significantly older than non-severe group (47 years (20 to 86 years)), the difference was statistically significant ( Z=-6.12, P<0.01). There were 63.6%(68/107) patients in severe group with at least one underlying disease, which was significantly more than non-severe group (20.8% (20/96)), the difference was statistically significant ( χ2=37.60, P<0.01). The proportions of patients with increased white blood cells, decreased lymphocytes and albumin, elevated alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, creatinine, lactic acid dehydrogenase, creatine kinase, fasting blood glucose, D-dimer, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, and procalcitonin in severe group were all higher. On admission, 172 patients (84.7%) had bilateral patchy shadows or ground glass opacity in the lungs on chest imaging study, 20(9.9%) presented pleural effusion. Fifty-five cases (27.1%) showed progressions of lung lesions on computed tomography (CT) rescan at an average interval of five days. Among 203 patients, 123(60.6%) were given oxygen therapy upon admission, 107(52.7%) were given short-term glucocorticoid therapy, and 131(64.5%) received antiviral therapy; and 26(12.8%) died. The hospital stay was 11.0 days (1.0 to 45.0 days). Conclusions:Fever is the most common symptoms in COVID-19 patients.Elderly and patients with underlying diseases are risk factors for progression to severe cases. The elderly patients should be strengthened early monitoring, paid attention to the control of underlying diseases, and reduce the occurrence of critical diseases.

The data of patients with HIV/AIDS from Hubei Province during 2004 to 2018 were obtained from the National AIDS Comprehensive Prevention and Control Information System. A total of 22 980 HIV-positive or AIDS patients were followed up for 113 164 person-years and 323 malignant tumors were diagnosed. Non-Hodgkin′s lymphoma (NHL), cervical cancer, liver cancer, lung cancer, and Kaposi sarcoma (KS) accounted for 70.0% (226/323) of all malignant tumors in this population. The average crude incidence and mortality of malignant tumors in HIV-infected patients were 285.43/100 000(269.11/100 000 in males and 325.87/100 000 in females), and 169.67/100 000(184.78/100 000 in males and 132.19/100 000 in females), respectively. The result indicates that the overall cancer incidence and mortality in HIV/AIDS population under widely implementation of combination anti-retroviral therapy (cART) are similar to those in the general population of the region. But the incidence and mortality of AIDS-related tumors such as KS, NHL, HD and cervical cancer are higher than those in general population, and attention should be given to screening of these malignancies in HIV/AIDS population.