Objective To investigate the relationship between quality of life and liver function in patients with chronic viral hepatitis B.Methods Psychological condition was investigated in 536 patients of chronic viral hepatitis B and 200 normal volunteers with self-administered 36-item short-form health survey questionnaire.These patients were divided into four groups based on their liver fuction normal,mild, moderate and severe damage,based on their serum activity of alanine aminotransferase(ALT)and serum level of bilirubin at the time of investigation.The patients with abnormal liver function at the beginning of the study would be retested when liver function recovered to normal level.Before and after comparison was made for those with abnormal liver function by Wilcoxon signed rank test.Trend test for the changes in liver function was performed by Jonckheere-Terpstra test.Results There was significant difference in physical functioning,role limitation due to physical health,bodily pain,general health perception,vitality,social functioning,role limitation due to emotional problems and mental health between patient with chronic viral hepatitis B and healthy volunteers.It was positively correlated with the degree of liver function damage. Scores of general health perception,role limitation due to physical health,role limitation due to emotional problems and vitality were relatively low in patients with chronic viral hepatitis B.Conclusions Quality of life in patients with chronic viral hepatitis B was far worse than that in healthy normal people,which related with their liver function.The more damage to liver function,the worse quality of life.Additional psychological treatment will be helpful for the patients with chronic viral hepatitis B other than drug treatment.

s:The partical coding sequence of E2 gene of 13 Hog Cholera Virus(HCV) field isolates, Shimen strain, Chinese vaccine strain(C strain) and Thiverval strain attenuated by low temperature in France,were obtained by reverse trancriptase -polymerse chain reation (RT-PCR) and sequenced.All size were 251bp.The obtained 224bp sequences were analysed by DNA star and compared with the previously published sequences of Alfort strain ,Brescia strain and other references strains.The results showed that those sequencing fragments of 13 HCV field strains were the sequence of E2 gene of HCV.Compared with Shimen strain,the base substitute of all stains were randomly distributed in the entire sequence,and had not base insert and base gap.The variation most occurred at 3' end. The identity of nucleotide sequence and amino acid sequenceof 22 HCV strains were 78.1%～100%?78.4%～100%. The identity of nucleotide sequence and amino acid sequence of 13 HCV field strains were 78.1%～100%?78.4%～100%.The identity of nucleotide sequence and amino acid sequence of 4 HCV field strains isolated in the 1970s～1980s were 79.0%～88.3%?81.1%～87.8%.The identity of nucleotide sequence and amino acid sequence of 9 HCV field strains isolated in the 1990s were 80.8%～100%?83.8%～100% respectively. This paper showed that the genetic variation of HCV was diversity.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of the Sanxianxinli capsule against fatigue and viability of mice.

METHODThe mouse shinning, burden swimming, heat-resistant, cold resistant and tolerating anoxia were detected by experiment.

RESULTThe results showed that the Sanxansinli capsule have function of improveing the stamina, cold resistant, heat-resistant and tolerating anoxia,and prolonging were the survival time in cold, high temperature and anoxia.

CONCLUSIONThe Sanxianxinli capsule have function against fatigue and can also improve the resistibility of body.

Animals ; Capsules ; Cold Temperature ; Curculigo ; chemistry ; Drug Combinations ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Epimedium ; chemistry ; Fatigue ; physiopathology ; Hot Temperature ; Hypoxia, Brain ; physiopathology ; Male ; Mice ; Oxygen Consumption ; drug effects ; Physical Endurance ; drug effects ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry

OBJECTIVETo summarize clinical and molecular features of two children with autosomal recessive chronic granulomatous disease caused by CYBA mutations.

METHODThe clinical records and CYBA mutations were reviewed for analysis of infections and inflammatory complications.

RESULTThe first case was a girl diagnosed with "liver and spleen abscess" in our hospital when she was 2.9 years old, with past history of neonatal impetigo and recurrent purulent lymphadenitis and positive family history. The results of DHR123 flow-cytometry showed that positive phagocytes after phorbol ester (PMA) stimulation was 84.63%. CYBA mutation analysis showed that she had heterozygous 35C > T, Q3X and IVS-2A > G. The second case was a boy diagnosed with "sepsis (salmonella D)" when he was 4 years old with a past history of impetigo, sepsis, perianal abscess, skin infection and positive family history. The results of flow cytometry showed that positive phagocytes after PMA stimulation was 96.13%. CYBA mutation analysis showed that he had homozygous 35C > T, Q3X and his parents were all carriers. All of them had BCG related axillary lymphnode calcification.

CONCLUSIONA22CGD cases had recurrent purulent infections (skin, lymphnode, liver and spleen, lung, blood), DHR123 flow cytometric analysis helped the diagnosis of CGD, CYBA mutation analysis ascertained the diagnosis of A22CGD.

Child, Preschool ; Chromosome Aberrations ; DNA Mutational Analysis ; Female ; Genes, Recessive ; Granulomatous Disease, Chronic ; diagnosis ; genetics ; Homozygote ; Humans ; Male ; Mutation ; NADPH Oxidases ; genetics

Child, Preschool ; Flow Cytometry ; methods ; Genetic Carrier Screening ; Granulomatous Disease, Chronic ; diagnosis ; genetics ; Humans ; Infant ; Male

OBJECTIVETuberculosis is still a public health problem. Host genetic factors, such as polymorphisms in NRAMP1 gene, may play a role in the development of tuberculosis. To clarify the effect of NRAMP1 gene polymorphisms on the development of childhood tuberculosis, the association of NRAMP1 gene polymorphisms with susceptibility to tuberculosis in the ethnic Han Chinese children was investigated.

METHODSFrom January 2005 to March 2008, 130 ethnic Han children with tuberculosis (TB group) were enrolled. Three hundred and ninety hospitalized ethnic Han children for physical examination in the surgery department were used as the control group. The controls were matched with tuberculosis children by age, sex and area. PCR-RFLP analysis was performed on DNA samples to identify allele genotypes of INT4 and D543N in NRAMP1 gene. Genotype frequency differences between tuberculosis patients and controls were analyzed using x2 test.

RESULTSNo statistical difference was found in the genotype frequency of variants G/C and C/C at the INT4 locus between the TB and the control groups. At the D543N locus, the frequency of genotype variants (G/A and A/A) was significantly higher in the TB group (34/130) than that in the control group (66/390) (x2=5.349, P<0.05; OR=1.74, 95%CI=1.08-2.79). When stratified by sex, differences in the genotype distribution were observed only in females at the D543N locus, which the variant genotypes were higher in the TB group (16/52) than in the control group (21/155) (x2=7.866, P<0.05; OR=2.84, 95%CI=1.34-5.99). For males, there was no difference between the TB and the control groups. At the INT4 locus, no difference was observed between the two groups in boys and girls.

CONCLUSIONSGenotypic variation at the D543N locus in NRAMP1 gene may be associated with susceptibility to tuberculosis in ethnic Han Chinese children. Variant genotypes in NRAMP1 gene (G/A and A/A) may be susceptible genotypes to tuberculosis in ethnic Han Chinese children. Girls with variant genotypes were more susceptible to tuberculosis.

Cation Transport Proteins ; genetics ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; ethnology ; Female ; Gene Frequency ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Genotype ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Sex Factors ; Tuberculosis ; ethnology ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo study clinical characteristics of pediatric SARS cases in Beijing.

METHODSEighteen pediatric cases with SARS diagnosed on admission were analyzed. The cases were admitted to Beijing Children's Hospital and Ditan Hospital (pediatric ward) from April 8 to May 12.

RESULTSThe 18 children aged 5 months to 15 years (10 male and 8 female) had epidemiologically linked findings. Fourteen cases had close contact with SARS patients. Four cases were living in the community where adult SARS patients were found. All the 18 patients but one presented with fever and cough. Most of them had high fever, 2 cases had bradycardia, 2 had diarrhea, and another 2 had tachypnea. Malaise and headache were noted only in 3 cases respectively which were much less frequently seen than in adult patients. Symptoms and signs of the children were much less severe and aggressive than adults cases. Thirteen children had chest radiographic consolidation. Of them, 9 cases had progressive changes after admission, then improved quickly. We did not find significant lower hemoglobin and platelet levels. Most patients had leukopenia and lymphopenia. Serologic test was performed for 15 cases and 8 were positive for SARS virus-IgG and 6 for IgM antibody. Of the 4 cases who had close contact with SARS adults and without chest radiograph abnormal findings, 3 were negative for SARS virus-antibodies. Part of the patients had temporary abnormality of myocardial enzyme and liver function. All these children finally had rapid improvement on chest radiograph. The patients were treated with antiviral agents and corticosteroid. Only two cases required oxygen therapy. No child needed assisted ventilation and no death, nor lung fibrosis occurred. After hospitalization, all patients were improved and discharged when this paper was being written. The average hospital stay of these patients was 14.6 days (6 - 22 days).

CONCLUSIONCompared with adults, pediatric SARS patients seemed to have their own clinical characteristics. The disease in children had lower severity and infectivity than that in adults. The mechanisms of the disease in children should be studied in well-designed clinical trials. Cases like the 4 children who had close contact with SARS adult patients but without chest radiographic changes deserve further studies with the help of more reliable and sensitive etiologic tests.

Adolescent ; Antibodies, Viral ; blood ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Radiography ; SARS Virus ; immunology ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ; pathology ; therapy ; virology ; Treatment Outcome

BACKGROUNDNitric oxide (NO) is an important mediator in the pathophysiology of many vascular diseases. However, the definite role of NO in human abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) formation is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate production of NO and expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and their possible role in AAA.

METHODSA total of 28 patients with AAA, 10 healthy controls, and 8 patients with arterial occlusive disease were enrolled into this study. Standard colorimetric assay was used to examine NO concentration in plasma from patients with AAA and normal controls, and in cultured smooth muscle cells (SMCs). Expression of iNOS in aortas and cultured SMCs were detected by immunochemistry. The correlation of iNOS expression with age of the patient, size of aneurysm, and degree of inflammation was also investigated by Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel chi2 test and Kendall' Tau correlation.

RESULTSExpression of iNOS increased significantly in the wall of aneurism in the patients with AAA compared to the healthy controls (P < 0.05) and the patients with occlusive arteries (P < 0.05). iNOS protein and media NOx (nitrite + nitrate) also increased in cultured SMCs from human AAA (n = 4, P < 0.05), while plasma NOx decreased in patients with AAA (n = 25) compared to the healthy controls (n = 20). There was a positive correlation between iNOS protein and degree of inflammation in aneurismal wall (Kendall coefficient = 0.5032, P = 0.0029).

CONCLUSIONSSMCs and inflammatory cells were main cellular sources of increased iNOS in AAA, and NO may play a part in pathogenesis in AAA through inflammation.

Adult ; Aged ; Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal ; etiology ; Apoptosis ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; pathology ; Nitric Oxide ; physiology ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II ; analysis ; physiology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the epidemiology of pediatric human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in six provinces of China.

METHODSA cross-sectional study was conducted in six provinces with the highest HIV prevalence. Surveys on demographics and HIV-related questions (transmission modes, time of diagnosis, clinical stage, laboratory test) were distributed to clinicians in these provinces. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were performed on the completed surveys.

RESULTSSurvey results of 650 children [405 males and 245 females; average age: (7.9 +/- 3.2) years] were eligible for analysis. The interval between possible transmission and diagnosis was (7.1 +/- 3.2) years. The location distribution was as follows: 570 cases (87.7%) in Henan Province, 23 cases (3.5%) in Guangxi Province, 21 cases (3.2%) in Yunnan Province, 19 cases (2.9%) in Hubei Province, 10 cases (1.5%) in Anhui Province, and 7 cases (1.1%) in Shanxi Province. Transmission routes included mother-to-child transmission (75.1%), blood transfusion/ plasma donation (15.7 %), and injecting drug use (IDU, 0.5%). Former plasma donation (FPD) was the main transmission route in some provinces (Henan, Shanxi, Hubei, and Anhui), while IDU was the main transmission route in other provinces (Guangxi and Yunnan). The average age in the FPD provinces was significantly higher than that in IDU provinces [(8.1 +/- 3.2) vs. (5.4 +/- 2.2) years, P <0.001]. Among 178 patients in all six provinces who required treatment (on the basis of CD4 count or WHO staging), 133 (74.7%) did not receive treatment and 45 (25.3%) received antiretroviral therapy.

CONCLUSIONMother-to-child transmission is the main transmission mode in pediatric patients. Efforts should be made to strengthen the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric HIV/AIDS patients.

Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; HIV Infections ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; therapy ; transmission ; Humans ; Infant ; Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical ; Male ; Needle Sharing ; adverse effects ; Transfusion Reaction