Objective To analyze the false-positive results of Treponema pallidum antibody caused by 3 different assay in comparison with Treponema pallidum hemagglutination assay (TPHA).Methods Research group included 3957 clinically asymptomatic syphilis patients,and control group was 344 outpatients with sex-transmitted diseases (STD).The serum samples from the patients who were TPHA-positive were tested in parallel by enzymeimmunoassay (EIA) and syphilis toluidine red untreated serum test (TRUST).Western blot (WB) was performed as confirmatory test.Results In the clinically asymptomatic patients,60 were TPHA-positive.Among them 57 were confirmed by western blot assay,and 1 was false-positive and 2 were borderline in WB.Of the 60 TPHA-positive patients,53 were positive in EIA and 23 were positive in TRUST.In STD patients 40 were TPHA,WB and EIA-positive but 32 were TRUST-positive.Conclusions The results of TPHA and EIA were consistent for diagnosis of syphilis patients who may suffer from previous or latent infection.

Pattern recognition of thermophilic and mesophilic proteins were studied through principle component analysis, partial least-square regression and BP neural network. The results showed that the fitting accuracy of the three methods was 92%, 95% and 98%, respectively. And the forecasting accuracy was 60%, 72.5% and 72.5%, respectively. The best forecasting accuracy for thermophilic proteins was 75%, and for mesophilic proteins was 85%. A mathematical model was established and the biological meaning of it was expatiated on, a new method to discriminate the thermophilic and mesophilic proteins based on their sequences was established here.
Amino Acids ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Discriminant Analysis ; Hot Temperature ; Least-Squares Analysis ; Models, Theoretical ; Neural Networks (Computer) ; Pattern Recognition, Automated ; Principal Component Analysis ; Proteins ; chemistry ; genetics

In this paper, a prediction model for amino acid composition and optimum pH of xylanase in G/11 family was established in terms of an artificial neural networks based on uniform design. Results showed that the calculated and predicted pHs fitted the optimum pHs of xylanase very well and the MAPEs (Mean mean Absolute Percent Error) were 3.02% and 4.06%, the MSEs (Mean Square Error) were 0.19 and 0.19 pH unit, the MAE (Mean Absolute Error) were 0.11 and 0.19 pH unit, respectively. It was better in fittings and predictions compared with the reported model based on stepwise regression.
Amino Acids ; chemistry ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Models, Chemical ; Neural Networks (Computer) ; Xylan Endo-1,3-beta-Xylosidase ; chemistry ; isolation & purification

In this work, the dipeptide composition of 3216 thermophilic and 4007 mesophilic protein sequences was systematically analyzed. We found that the thermophilic proteins contained more dipeptides such as EE, EK, KE, VE, EI, KI, EV, KK, VK and IE, whereas less dipeptides such as AA, LL, LA, AL, QA, QL, AQ, LT, TL and EQ. Based on this information, a statistical method for discriminating thermophilic and mesophilic proteins was developed. Our approach correctly picked up the thermophilic proteins with the accuracy of 94.0% and 89%, respectively, for the testing sets of 382 and 73 thermophilic proteins. And for the testing 325 and 73 mesophilic proteins, the accuracy was 85.2% and 89%, respectively. The influence of specific dipeptides on discrimination was also discussed.
Amino Acids ; chemistry ; Bacteria ; chemistry ; Bacterial Proteins ; chemistry ; Dipeptides ; chemistry ; Discriminant Analysis ; Hot Temperature ; Sequence Analysis, Protein ; Thermodynamics

Degenerate PCR primers were designed by multiple alignment of the protein sequences of known structural genes encoding the catalytic subunits of NiFe-hydrogenases obtained from Swiss-Prot Protein Sequence Database through CLUSTAL-W software and compared for conserved sequence motifs. An amplified PCR product 1 kb in size was obtained from the genomic DNA of Klebsiella pneumoniae using a set of degenerate primers, and then inverse PCR technique was used to obtain the full hydrogenase coding region. A predicted secondary structure and 3D structural model were constructed by homology modeling and docking. On the basis of these results, it was inferred that NiFe-hydrogenase from Klebsiella pneumoniae belongs to the membrane-bound H2 evolving hydrogenase group (Ech hydrogenase group).
Bacterial Proteins ; chemistry ; genetics ; Cloning, Molecular ; Codon ; genetics ; DNA, Bacterial ; chemistry ; genetics ; Databases, Protein ; Hydrogen Bonding ; Hydrogenase ; chemistry ; genetics ; Klebsiella pneumoniae ; enzymology ; genetics ; Models, Molecular ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Protein Conformation ; Protein Structure, Secondary ; Protein Structure, Tertiary ; Sequence Analysis, DNA

In this paper, the Boosting-based decision tree ensemble classifiers were applied to discriminate thermophilic and mesophilic proteins. Three methods, namely, self-consistency test, 5-fold cross-validation and independent testing with other dataset, were used to evaluate the performance and robust of the models. Logitboost, as a novel classifier in Boosting algorithm, performed better than Adaboost. The overall accuracy of the three methods was 100%, 88.4% and 89.5%, respectively. It was demonstrated that LogitBoost performed comparably or even better than that of neural network, a very powerful classifier widely used in biological literatures. The influence of protein size on discrimination was addressed. It is anticipated that the power in predicting many bio-macromolecular attributes will be further strengthened if the Boosting and some other existing algorithms can be effectively complemented with each other.
Algorithms ; Decision Trees ; Molecular Weight ; Neural Networks (Computer) ; Proteins ; chemistry ; classification

Objective To optimize the design of the field psychological emergency rescue chest.Methods The deficiencies of the chest were summarized during the drilling and actual application of the psychological rescue unit,and some optimization countermeasures were put forward accordingly.Results The chest was optimized from the aspects of selection of chest body, internal and external layout as well as equipped devices.Conclusion The optimized chest can better meet the needs of the disaster emergency rescue.

OBJECTIVETo develop the techniques of total hip arthroplasty(THA) for Crowe type IV developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) with S-ROM prosthesis,and to assess its clinical results.

METHODSFrom October 2000 to October 2011,30 patients (36 hips) with Crowe type IV DDH underwent THA,including 6 patients with bilateral hip involved and 24 patients with unilateral. S-ROM prosthesis was adopted together with subtrochanteric transverse osteotomy. All the cementless acetabular cups were placed at the original anatomic location. The threaded cups were put in or near the level of the true acetabulum in all patients. Full coating stems were used in femoral side. All the patients were evaluated by using the Modified Harris Hip Score. Radiographic evaluations were made preoperatively and during follow-up.

RESULTSTwo patients lost of follow-up. Twenty-seven patients with 32 hips were followed up,and the average duration was 48 months (ranging from 7 to 84 months). There was 1 patient with bilateral THA died from hemorrhagic shock. Two patients could walk freely with the visible fracture lines at 12th and 18th months postoperatively. There were no complications such as infection or nerve injuries. Modified Harris Hip Score improved from preoperative 41.7+/-3.7 to postoperative 89.1+/-2.9. There was no acetabular or femoral component revision because of mal-position or loosening of the prostheses in all patients. Postoperative X-ray showed that all the prostheses in place,good integration between acetabular cups,femoral prosthesis and host bone without loosening. All bone grafts were integrated. All the hips acquired union of osteotomy and bone in-growth. None of the patients had radiographic evidence of aseptic loosening of prosthesis.

CONCLUSIONFor the complex DDH, follow methods should be used to improve therapeutic effects:good exposure of the true acetabulum,deepen acetabulum, femoral shortening, oblique osteotomy, using the S-ROM prosthesis.

Adult ; Aged ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip ; methods ; Female ; Hip Dislocation, Congenital ; surgery ; Hip Prosthesis ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged

Bacillus pumilus xylanase was cloned and sequenced. Based on the tertiary structure that originated from homology modeling, the potential active pocket was searched and ligand-protein docking was performed using relative softwares. The information extracted from the molecular docking is analyzed; several amino acid residues might play a vital role in the xylanase catalytic reaction are obtained to instruct the further modification of xylanase directed-evolution.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Bacillus ; enzymology ; genetics ; Bacterial Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Base Sequence ; Computer Simulation ; Endo-1,4-beta Xylanases ; genetics ; metabolism ; Models, Chemical ; Models, Molecular ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Protein Binding ; Substrate Specificity ; Xylans ; genetics ; metabolism

Objective To investigate the molecular mechanisms of upregulated expression of cellular Fas-associated death domain-like interleukin-1 beta converting enzyme inhibitory protein(c-FLIP)by calreticulin(CRT)in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods The semi-quantitative analysis and localization of c-FLIP in RA and osteoarthritis (OA)synovium were detected by immunohistochemistry.The fibroblast-like synoviocytes(FLS)were isolated by enzymatic digestion of synovial tissue specimens obtained from RA and OA patients,and cultured as an in vitro experiment model.The expressions of c-FLIP in RA and OA synovial fibroblasts were detected by immunofluorescence and Western blot assay. Whether CRT influenced c-FLIP expression and its molecular mechanism were explored by Western blot assay. Results The high expression of c-FLIP was found in RA synovium, mainly in the lining and sublining areas of FLS and vascular endothelial cells detected by immunohistochemistry.Meanwhile,weak staining of c-FLIP was observed in OA synovium.The expression of c-FLIP was significantly higher in RA synovium than that of OA synovium(t=11.717,P<0.001).Results of immunofluorescence and Western blot assay showed that c-FLIP was mainly located in cytoplasm, and which was higher expressed in FLS of RA than that of OA. The increased c-FLIP expression and phosphorylation of NF-κB were detected after being co-incubated with exogenous CRT (0, 10, 50, 100 μg/L), in dose-dependent manner. The effect of CRT upregulating c-FLIP expression was blocked by NF-κB inhibitor BAY 11-7082.Conclusion CRT can increase c-FLIP expression at least partly through NF-κB pathway in RA,which may provide therapeutic target for the treatment of RA.