Antibodies, Viral ; blood ; Humans ; SARS Virus ; immunology ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ; immunology ; T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic ; immunology

Cell Line, Tumor ; Enzyme Inhibitors ; pharmacology ; Heterocyclic Compounds, 1-Ring ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex ; drug effects

Air ; analysis ; Chlorpyrifos ; analysis ; Chromatography, Gas ; methods ; Workplace

Child, Preschool ; Fever ; etiology ; Histoplasmosis ; complications ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Humans ; Jaundice ; etiology ; Male

The production technology for the first generation of biofuels has been made great achievements and some countries, such as USA, EU countries, and Brazil, have formed successful biofuel industrial chains. Cellulose ethanol, a representative of the second generation of biofuels and a kind of more promising alternative fuels, has not yet got enough key technological breakthroughs and its large scale commercial production still needs rather some time to realize. Now it is in the early stage of transition to the second generation of biofuels. Taking the development of second generation of biofuels as their national policies, many countries have developed long-term development plans and objectives, and provided a good policy environment and strong support for it. Thus institutes and enterprises are engaging and successing in addressing key issues relating to the development of biofuels. At the mean time, some important issues relating to the sustainable development of biofuels have attracted people's attention.

Biomass resources are strategically vital for the sustainable development of a country.The United States has recently made a variety of plans or roadmaps and taken significant actions in order to promote the R&D of biomass resources.These plans and actions for the key issues in the development of biomass resources were analysed.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the ways of quantitative and objective evaluation for analyzing the multiple influence factors on middle ear function in the patients with primarily diagnosed NPC, and to analyze the influence factors of middle ear function in the patients with primarily diagnosed nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). METHOD: Three hundred and twenty cases (320 ears) of primarily diagnosed NPC patients were examinated with electric otoscope, acoustic immittance measurement, pure tone audiometry, nasopharynx and middle ear CT or MRI scanning, eustachian tube function examination, and electronic nasopharyngoscope. A series of quantitative methods, as the influence factors including T stage, clinical stage, location, diffusion type and form of tumor, eustachian tube function, pharynx mouth shape, imaging extension (nasal, skull base, pharyngeal recess, parapharyngeal space, tensor veli palatini muscle, levator veli palatini and so on), were used to evaluate the middle ear function. SPSS 13.0 was used to anlyze the single and multiple factors in statistics. RESULT: T stage, clinical stage, location, diffusion type, and form of tumor, pharynx mouth shape, imaging extension (nasal, skull base, pharyngeal recess, parapharyngeal space, tensor veli palatini muscle, levator veli palatini) were the single influence factors on the function of middle ear in primarily diagnosed NPC patients. The gender, age, pathological types, N staging and M staging of NPC patients primarily diagnosed had no effect on middle ear function. The multple factors analysis showed that T stage, tumor location, the function of eustachian tube, tensor veli palatini muscle invasion, and skull base invasion were independent factor of affecting the middle ear function on primarily diagnosed NPC patients. CONCLUSION In this study, the influence factors of middle ear function with primarily diagnosed NPC were related to T stage, location of tumor, the function of eustachian tube, tensor veli palatini muscle invasion, skull base invasion, otitis media and quantitative criteria. The way of quantitative analysis could be used to evaluate objectively the middle ear function in patients with primarily diagnosed NPC.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Carcinoma ; Ear, Middle ; physiopathology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; physiopathology ; Young Adult

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of infliximab plus methotrexate combination therpy in Chinese with rheumatoid arthritis patients.Methods This was a double-blind placebo-controlled phaseⅢclinical trial,173 patients who had active rheumatoid arthritis were randomised to placebo(n=86)or infliximab(n=87)group on a background of a stable dosage of methotrexate.Patients were assessed at weeks 0,2,6,14 and 18.Results At week 2,the American College of Rheumatology(20)response criteria,which represent a 20% improvement from baseline,the same results with swollen joint count,tender joint count,du- ration of morning stiffness,VAS score,CRP,ESR were achieved in 52.9% of patients,compared with 14.0% of patients receiving placebo plus methotrexate.A 20% improvement was achieved in 75.9% of infliximab plus methotrexate at week 18,compared with 48.8% of patients on placebo plus methotrexate(P=0.0003).A 50% improvement was achieved in 43.7% of infliximab plus methotrexate at week 18,compared with 25.6% of pa- tients on placebo plus methotrexate(P=0.011).Infliximab was well-tolerated;withdrawals for adverse events as well as the occurrence of serious adverse events or serious infections were similar to those in the placebo group.There was only one case of tuberculosis in the treatment group.Conclusion Treatment with infliximab plus methotrexate is more effective than methotrexate alone in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis.It has rapid onset of effect and the efficacy is persistent.

OBJECTIVETo discuss the reverse effect of Yinchenhao decoction(YCHD) in dimethyl nitrosamine (DMN)-induced hepatic fibrosis in rats.

METHODThe rat hepatic fibrosis model was established through the intraperitoneal injection with 1% dimethyl nitrosamine (DMN) with a dose of 1.0 mL x kg(-1) x d(-1) for consecutively three weeks, once for the first three days of each. The rats were randomly divided into six groups: the silymarin positive control group (50.0 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1), YCHD high (20.0 g x kg(-1) d(-1)), middle (8.0 g x kg(-1) x d(-1)) and low (3.2 g x kg(-1) x d(-1)) dose groups, the model group and the normal control group. The model group and the normal control group were orally administered with normal saline for consecutively five weeks. The pathologic changes in liver tissues were observed by HE staining. The levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), g-glutamyltransferase (g-GGT), hyaluronic acid (HA), laminin (LN), collagen type IV (CIV) and type III procollagen amino terminal peptide (PIIINP) in serum were determined. The metabolite profiling of amino acid and the content of hydroxyproline in liver tissues were also measured.

RESULTCompared with the model group, YCHD high and middle dose groups could significantly reverse the pathologic changes in liver tissues of rats. YCHD could reduce the levels of ALT, AST, gamma-GGT, HA, LN, CIV, PIIINP in serum and the content of hydroxyproline in liver tissues in a dose-dependent manner, and altered the metabolite profiling of amino acid in rat liver tissues.

CONCLUSIONYCHD has the effect in reversing dimethyl nitrosamine induced hepatic fibrosis in rats.

Alanine Transaminase ; metabolism ; Animals ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; metabolism ; Collagen Type IV ; metabolism ; Dimethylnitrosamine ; adverse effects ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; Humans ; Hydroxyproline ; metabolism ; Liver ; drug effects ; enzymology ; metabolism ; Liver Cirrhosis ; chemically induced ; drug therapy ; enzymology ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVETo analyze the fungal composition in Massa Medicata Fermentata based on culture dependent method and independent PCR-SSCP technique.

METHODFungi were directly isolated from Massa Medicata Fermentata samples. The obtained strains were identified according to morphology and DNA sequence. Meanwhile the total fungal DNA was extracted from Massa Medicata Fermentata samples, the cultural independent PCR-SSCP technique based on β-tubulin gene were used to identify the mycobiota.

RESULTAccording to cultural method, Aspergillus flavus and Rhizopus oryzae were present in Massa Medicata Fermentata samples, while A. flavus and A. niger were present in fried Massa Medicata Fermentata samples. In contrast, 5 species were obtained by PCR-SSCP technique, A. flavus was overlapped with fungal taxa derived from culture dependent method; A. ambiguu and A. s ivoriensis were dominant with relative abundance of 57% and 35% respectively, while the relative abundance of A. flavus was as low as 4%. None species was obtained from fried Massa Medicata Fermentata samples.

CONCLUSIONPCR-SSCP based on β-tubulin gene could distinguish fungi into species, culture dependent method combined with culture independent method could better understand the fungal composition associated with Massa Medicata Fermentata fermentation.

Fermentation ; Fungi ; isolation & purification ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; methods ; Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational ; Tubulin ; genetics