Objective To find out the potential risk factor of plague in Wanzhou section of the Three Gorges Reservoir area, and to provide scientific basis for prevention and control of plague. Methods Rodents were captured by rat traps/cages at night and identified into species in Wanzhou section of the Three Gorges Reservoir area from 2001 to 2009. Flea was counted and serum antibodies against plague F1 of rats, cats and dogs were detected by indirect hemagglutination (IHA). Plague surveillances were performed in human beings and rats. Results The rodents captured belonged to 9 species, 2 families, 2 orders and 1 classes. The average indoor rodent density was 1.16% (961/82 558), and was 1.12% (1345/119 671) outdoors. Rattus norvegicus was the dominant species,accounting for 50.37%. The proportion of R. Flavipectus was 3.80% in 2004, 4.50% in 2008 and 10.12% in 2009,showing an increasing trend year by year. There were three kinds of mice infected fleas in Wanzhou, which including Xenopsylla cheopis, Leptopsylla segnis and Ctenocephalides felis. The average rate of flea infected mice was 1.18%(82/6959) and the total flea index was 0.036. No F1 antibody against plague was detected in 6959 dogs and 160 cats serum samples. Conclusions No plague is found in Wanzhou section of the Three Gorges Reservoir area. But R.Flavipectus, Xenopsylla cheopis and Leptopsylla segnis are dominant species in Wanzhou section, and the proportion of which shows an increasing trends year by year. There is a potential risk of plague outbreaks in Wanzhou section of the Three Gorges Reservoir area.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the role of p38 MAPK on ischemic postconditioning (IPO) attenuating pneumocyte apoptosis after lung ischemia/reperfusion injury (LIRI).

METHODSForty adult male SD rats were randomly divided into 5 groups based upon the intervention (n = 8): control group (C), LIR group (I/R), LIR + IPO group (IPO), IPO + solution control group (D), IPO + SB203580 group (SB). Left lung tissue was isolated after the 2 hours of reperfusion, the ratio of wet lung weight to dry lung weight (W/D), and total lung water content (TLW) were measured. The histological structure of the left lung was observed under light and electron transmission microscopes, and scored by alveolar damage index of quantitative assessment (IQA). Apoptosis index (AI) of lung tissue was determined by terminal deoxynuleotidyl transferase mediated dUTP nick end and labeling (TUNEL) method. The mRNA expression and protein levels of and Bax were measured by RT-PCR and quantitative immunohistochemistry (IHC).

RESULTSCompared with C group, W/D, TLW, IQA, AI and the expression of Bax of I/R were significantly increased, the expression of Bcl-2 and Bcl-2/Bax were significantly decreased (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), and was obviously morphological abnormality in lung tissue. Compared with I/R group, all the indexes of IPO except for the expression of Bcl-2 and Bcl-2/ Bax were obviously reduced, the expression of Bcl-2 and Bcl-2/Bax were increased (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). All the indexes between D and IPO were little or not significant( P > 0.05). The expression of Bcl-2 and Bcl-2/Bax of SB were significantly increased and other indexes were reduced than those of IPO (P < 0.05, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONIPO may attenuate pneumocyte apoptosis in LIRI by inactivation of p38 MAPK, up-regulating expression of Bcl-2/Bax ratio.

Alveolar Epithelial Cells ; cytology ; Animals ; Apoptosis ; Disease Models, Animal ; Ischemic Postconditioning ; Lung ; blood supply ; enzymology ; pathology ; Male ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reperfusion Injury ; enzymology ; pathology ; prevention & control ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein ; metabolism ; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases ; metabolism

Objective To investigate the efficacy of using a calibrator with values assigned with the reference method for improving the comparability of serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) measurements.Methods The IFCC reference method for GGT was established and the performance was verified by testing a certified reference material (CRM).A calibrator was prepared and its value for GGT was assigned with the reference method.Forty serum samples were measured on different (including HITACHI 7600,7060,7170,7180 and BECKMAN LX20,OLYMPUS AU 400) chemistry analyzers with Zhongsheng GGT reagent kits calibrated with the calibrator.The samples were also measured on the same analyzers using a theoretical factor.Biases of results obtained with the calibration and with the theoretical factor based calculation were compared.Results The reference method resuhs on the CRM agreed the certified value within the stated uncertainty.Serum results calculated from the theoretical factor showed various biases and inter-analyzer variations.When the analyzers were calibrated with the calibrator,the number of results with biases less than 10% became significantly higher and those with biases more than 20% significantly lower.The variation of the results on 5 serum samples was reduced from 11.0%～14.0% to less than 5% by using the calibrator.Conclusion Accuracy and comparability of GGT measurements with of ZhongSheng GGT kits can be improved by using a calibrator that has a value assigned with the reference method.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of ischemic postconditioning (IPostC) on pneumocyte apoptosis after lung ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats.

METHODSAdult male SD rats were randomly divided into 3 groups based upon the intervention (n = 8): control group (C), lung ischemic reperfusion group (LIR), LIR+ IPostC group (IPostC). At the end of the experiment, blood specimens drawn from the arteria carotis were tested for the content of malondialdehyde (MDA), the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and myeloperoxidase (MPO); the pneumocyte apoptosis index (AI) was achieved by tennrminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated dUTP nick end abeling (TUNEL); the expression of Bcl-2, Bax protein in lung tissue was accessed by quantitative immunohistochemistry (MHC) and Bcl-2, Bax mRNA by RT-PCR.

RESULTSIPostC could significantly attenuate the MDA level, MPO activity and improve SOD activity in blood serum which was comparable to I/R and significantly reduced the number of TUNEL-positive cells compared with I/R group, expressed as Al (% total nuclei) from (39.0 +/- 3.46) to (8.0 +/- 0.88) (P < 0.01). The protein and mRNA expression of Bcl-2 and Bax showed that IPO significantly attenuated the ischemia/reperfusion-upregulated expression of Bax protein but improved the expression of Bcl-2 that improved the Bcl-2/Bax ratio (P < 0.01) .

CONCLUSIONIPostC may attenuate pneumocyte apoptosis in LIRI by up-regulating expression of Bcl-2/Bax ratio and by inhibiting oxidant generation and neutrophils filtration.

Alveolar Epithelial Cells ; cytology ; Animals ; Apoptosis ; Ischemic Postconditioning ; Lung ; metabolism ; pathology ; Lung Injury ; physiopathology ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; metabolism ; Peroxidase ; metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reperfusion Injury ; physiopathology ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of removing EDTA-soluble phosphate protein in dentin on the later remineralization for the purpose of better understanding of mechanism of dentin phosphate proteins on dentin mineralization.

METHODSTo remove soluble phosphate protein by EDTA dissolution, then the remineralization rate was monitored by a constant composition crystal growth technique. The results were compared with those from the normal dentin and the dentin partially demineralized by acetic acid.

RESULTSFaster remineralization rates were found with dentin demineralized by EDTA (0.5 and 2 h) compared with normal dentin powder, while a slower rate was found with dentin demineralized by acetic acid. The increase of remineralization rate by removing phosphate protein from dentin was 100% more at 200 min after the start of the reaction.

CONCLUSIONEDTA-soluble phosphate protein in dentin has a great potential to inhibit remineralization.

Dental Cementum ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Dentin ; chemistry ; Edetic Acid ; Humans ; Phosphoproteins ; analysis ; physiology ; Tooth Demineralization ; metabolism ; Tooth Remineralization

Objective To investigate the accuracy and comparability of ?-glutamyltransferase (?- GT) measurement results on human serum samples and controI materials before and after calibration with a common human serum calibrator.Methods A human serum calibrator was prepared by pooling fresh serum aliquots and assigning a value for ?-GT with the IFCC reference method.The calibrator together with 5 human serum samples and 10 control samples were sent to 15 clinical laboratories and the sermn and control samples were measured with different analytical systems before and after a calibration with the calibrator.The results were analyzed for biases and interlaboratory variations.Results For the serum samples,the calibration resulted in reductions in biases from -9.0%～-14.2% to -0.8%～-7.9%,and in interlaboratory variations from 6.9%～11.6% to 2.8%～4.4%.No improvement was observed on the control samples.Conclusions Accuracy and comparability of serum ?-GT measurements can be improved by using a common human serum calibrator.Some control materials may not be commutable for human serum in ?-GT measurements.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of haploidentical allogeneic bone marrow or peripheral blood hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) combined with umbilical cord blood mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) infusion in treatment of severe aplastic anemia (SAA). Five SAA patients received haploidentical allo-HSCT combined MSC infusion. HSC and MSC were collected from bone marrow or peripheral blood of haploidentical donors and umbilical cord blood respectively. After transplantation, the clinical hematopoietic reconstitution and early complications were monitored. The results indicated that all the 5 patients achieved hematopoietic reconstitution. The average time for WBC count > 2×10(9)/L was 13.8 days, and average time for Plt level > 20×10(9)/L was 17.8 days. The STR-PCR detection of patient peripheral blood at day 30 after transplantation showed that engraftment was complete donor's gene type. The communication with 1 patient was broken off because of his epilepsy, other 4 patients are all alive in diseases-free state. In conclusion, the haploidentical allo-HSCT combined with umbilical cord MSC infusion is an effective approach to cure SAA, which needs to be further studied in a large number of cases.
Adult ; Anemia, Aplastic ; therapy ; Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplantation ; Female ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; methods ; Humans ; Male ; Treatment Outcome

This study was aimed to explore the value of dual-color dual-fusion fluorescence in situ hybridization (DC-DF-FISH) for the detection of bcr/abl fusion gene in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). The karyotypes of chromosomes and bcr/abl fusion gene in 41 cases of CML including 18 cases of de-novo CML, 18 treated CML cases and 5 cases of CML received PBSCT were detected by conventional R-banding technique, DC-DF-FISH and RT-PCR. The results indicated that the Ph chromosome was found in 17 out of 18 cases of de novo CML by R-banding technique, with positive rate of 94.4%; DC-DF-FISH detection showed same result (94.4%). The R-banding technique was adopted to detect 18 treated patients and showed that 14 cases had metaphase for analysis, the Ph chromosome existed in 11 out of 14 cases with positive rate of 78.6% (11/14), however, DC-DF-FISH detection also showed positive rate of 94.4% (17/18) for these treated patients. The Ph chromosome in 5 cases after PBSCT did not found by R-banding technique, meanwhile FISH detection indicated that 1 case had bcr/abl gene, RT-PCR assay confirmed the result of FISH detection. It is concluded that the DC-DF-FISH technique is an accurate and reliable method for detecting bcr/abl gene which can be used in diagnosis of CML, evaluation of therapeutic efficacy and detection of minimal residual disease.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl ; genetics ; Gene Rearrangement ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; methods ; Karyotyping ; Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive ; genetics ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult

The aim of this study was to analyze chimerism, evaluate the status of engraftment and predict the outcome of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) by multiple short tandem repeat (STR) amplification using fluorescence labeling polymerase chain reaction (PCR) combined with capillary electrophoresis. Peripheral blood and bone marrow in 27 patients who received myeloablative allogenetic cell transplantation were collected before and after transplantation in different times. 10 and 7 different STR markers were co-amplified in a single reaction by using a commercial AmpF/STR Profiler Plus/Cofiler plus PCR amplification kits. Separation of the PCR products and fluorescence detection were performed by ABI prism 310 Genetic Analyzer with capillary electrophoresis. The Genescan and Genotype soft ware were used for size calling and quantification of peak areas. The formula to calculate donor chimerism values was based on the different allelic distribution type between donor and recipient. The results showed that donor chimerism was similar by the two methods. The median number of informative alleles was 6.3 (4 - 9) by Profiler Plus and 4.9 (2 - 6) by Cofiler Plus. The donor alleles appeared in 26 patients on day 28 post transplantation. One patient was not observed to appear donor alleles. 14 patients with 100% donor chimerism (DC) had stable engraftment and they still survive in free leukemia. 9 patients had unstable mixed chimerism (DC: 0% - 90.2%), and 5 of them relapsed after allo-HSCT, 6 patients died. Decrease of donor chimerism appeared prior to graft rejection and disease relapse. The incidence of GVHD was higher in group of full donor chimerism. It is concluded that dynamic monitoring donor chimerism by STR-PCR in combination with all auto-capillary electrophoresis is a valuable tool for predicting graft rejection, disease relapse and occurrence of GVHD, and provides a basis for early clinical intervention in the patients received allo-HSCT.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Female ; Graft vs Host Disease ; prevention & control ; Humans ; Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive ; therapy ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; therapy ; Male ; Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation ; methods ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; methods ; Recurrence ; Tandem Repeat Sequences ; Transplantation Chimera ; Transplantation, Homologous

Objective To investigate the serum levels of miR-661 in type 2 diabetes(T2DM)patients and type 2 diabetes with microvascular complications(T2DMC),and to further evaluate its clinical auxiliary diagnosis significance.Methods The serum levels of miR-661 were examined in 60 T2DM patients,60 T2DMC patients and 60 healthy controls using quantitative real-time PCR (qRTPCR).The sera levels of biochemical parameters including fasting plasma glucose (FPG),cholesterol (TC),triglycerides (TG),low density lipoprotein (LDL-C),high density lipoprotein (HDL-C) and haemoglobinA1C (HbA1 c) were determined by biochemical analyzer.The ROC curve analysis,correlation analyses and logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the clinical auxiliary diagnosis value of serum miR-661,respectively.Results The qRT-PCR results showed that the concentrations of miR-661 was 118 (63.6,192.4) fmol/L in healthy controls,which were significant lower than those of T2DM patients [230.1 (83.6,426.2) fmol/L,(U =1 207,P ＜ 0.01)] and T2DMC patients [441.3 (212.9,1 021) fmol/L,(U =435,P ＜ 0.01)].ROC curve (AUCROc) of miR-661 was 0.665(95％CI:0.585 ～0.765,P ＜0.01)for T2DM patients and 0.879(95％CI:0.821 ～ 0.938,P＜0.01)for T2DMC patients.The AUCROc between T2DM and T2DMC patients was 0.694 (95 ％ CI:0.600 ～ 0.788,P ＜ 0.01).The correlation analyses revealed that the levels of miR-661 was positively correlated with concentrations of FPG(r =0.291,P ＜ 0.05)and LDL-C(r =0.149,P ＜ 0.05),and negatively correlated with concentrations of HDL-C (r =-0.243,P ＜ 0.01).Logistic regression analysis revealed that serum miR-661 was an independent risk factor in T2DM and T2DMC(P ＜ 0.01).Conclusion Serum miR-661 was potential biomarker and risk factor for T2DM and T2DMC.