Objective To establish nucleic acid testing techniques for detecting Nipah virus (NiV) and Hendra virus (HeV), and to test the NiV and HeV in peripheral blood collected from domestic pigs, cows and goats in Chongqing. Methods Peripheral blood samples of 580 domestic pigs, 250 cows, 180 goats were collected from Chongqing since June 2007 to June 2008. The lymphocytes were separated by density gradient centrifugation and total RNA was extracted using Trizol method for detection of NiV and HeV with one-step real-time RT-PCR. Sequence identification and analysis were performed for positive PCR prod-ucts. Virus isolation and culture were adopted for positive samples, and epidemiologic reports were submit-ted. Results Nucleic acid detections searching for NiV and HeV were successfully performed in animal blood samples collected from Chongqing. "Takeoff points" were not found in fluorescence amplification curves of all samples. Curves kept the same slope, and assays were judged as negative. Conclusion Until now, Neither NiV or HeV infection has been found in domestic animals blood samples collected from Chongqing, which suggest a lower possibility of outbreaks of Nipah disease and Hendra disease in Chongqing in the near future.

Objective To investigate the epidemiology of BDV infection in Yili horses and Yili donkeys and to analyze phylogenetic source of BDV in Yili area, Xinjiang. Methods We established fluo- rescence quantitative nested RT-PCR to detect BDV p24 segment in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of 518 Yili horses and 206 Yili donkeys in Yili area, Xinjiang. Positive products were validated by detecting BDV p40 segment and plasmid to preclude the contamination, and were sequenced to analyze the homology of gene sequence, amino acid sequence and phylogenetic tree. Results The positive rates of BDV infection in PBMCs of 518 Yili horses and 206 Yili donkeys were 0.97% and 1.94%, respectively. The results of BDV p40 segment verification were positive in all of the samples of BDV p24 positive. All the samples tested were not contaminated by plasmid. There was a homology of the gene sequence of positive PCR samples with strain He/80. And the gene sequence revealed more than 93% identical to H1766 and strain V. Conclusion Our study suggested BDV natural infection in Yili horses and Yili donkeys. The en- demic BDV had a high degree of identity to strain He/80.

We designed and synthesized eighteen lycorine derivatives with five different structural types, and evaluated their antiviral activities on a HCoV-OC43-infected H460 cell model. Structure-activity relationships suggested that the introduction of appropriate substituents on the 6N atom of lycorine was beneficial to activity. Compound 6a gave a good activity with the half effective concentration (EC₅₀) and selectivity index (SI) values of 2.36 μmol·L^-1 and 16.52, respectively. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) result indicated that 6a might target the non-structural protein 12 (NSP12) subunit in RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) of SARS-CoV-2 with the dissociation constant (K_D) value of 1.36 μmol·L^-1. Molecular docking indicated that 6a might act on nidovirus RdRp-associated nucleotidyltransferase (NiRAN) catalytic center of NSP12, distinct from the mechanism of nucleoside-like drugs such as remdesivir. This study provides scientific data for the development of lycorine derivatives into a new class of anti-SARS-CoV-2 small molecule inhibitors.

Objective Previous studies indicated that activation of Toll-like receptor4 (TLR4) was involved in the progression and instability of atherosclerotic plaque.Anti-inflammatory effects were shown in statins. However,the mechanisms underlying these effects have not been well explored.We test the hypothesis that a por- tion of these anti-inflammatory effects are mediated by regulation of TLR4 expression.Methods One hundred twenty-one subjects (22 normal persons,17 patients with stable angina and 82 patients with ACS) were recruited. 41 patients with ACS were randomized to atorvastatin 10 mg/d or atorvastatin 40 mg/d on top of routine anti-anginal treatment.Serum level of hsCRP,blood lipids,TLR4 expression on CD_(14)~+ monocytes were measuered before and after one month treatment.TLR4 expression on CD_(14)~+ monocytes were quantified via flow-cytometry.Results hsCRP and TLR4 expression on CD_(14)~+ monocytes in patients with ACS were higher than patients with stable angina and normal persons(hsCRP,ACS:11.1?14.3 vs stable angina:2.5?2.7 mg/L vs normal:2.3?4.2 mg/L,P

Mild encephalopathy/encephalitis with a reversible spleniat (MERS) lesion is a clinic-radiological entity.The clinical features of MERS in neonates are still not systemically reported.This paper presents five cases of MERS,and the up-to-date reviews of previously reported cases were collected and analyzed in the literature.Here we describe five cases clinically diagnosed with MERS.All of them were neonates and the average age was about 4 days.They were admitted for the common neurological symptoms such as hyperspasmia,poor reactivity and delirium.Auxiliary examinations during hospitalization also exhibited features in common.In this report,we reached following conclusions.Firstly,magnetic resonance imaging revealed solitary or comprehensive lesions in the splenium of corpus callosum,some of them extending to almost the whole corpus callosum.The lesions showed low intensity signal on Tl-weighted images,homogeneously hyperintense signal on T2-weighted images,fluid-attenuated inversion recovery and diffusion-weighted images,and exhibited an obvious reduced diffusion on apparent diffusion coefficient map.Moreover,the lesions in the magnetic resonance imaging disappeared very quickly even prior to the clinical recovery.Secondly,all the cases depicted here suffered electrolyte disturbances especially hyponatremia which could be easily corrected.Lastly,all of the cases recovered quickly over one week to one month and majority of them exhibited signs of infections and normal electroencephalography.

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical efficacy of callotasis for pathological segmental defects in child femur. METHODS: Thirty-nine patients with segmental femoral defects suffered from suppurative osteomyelitis were treated with the bilateral, unilateral external fixation frame or intramedullary callotasis. The rolongational rate was from 2 to 2.5 cm per month after the operation. RESULTS: After a 13 to 57 month follow-up, all cases were healed according to clinical examination and radiological observation. The prolongational length ranged from 9 to 31 centimeters. Average ratio of prolongation reached 49%. The healing index was 30 d/cm, and the healing time of non-union was 134 days. No recurrent suppurative osteomyelitis or fracture was observed. CONCLUSION Callotasis is a reliable, simple and hyperadaptable method for femural segmental defects.
Adolescent ; Bone Lengthening ; methods ; Bony Callus ; surgery ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Femur ; surgery ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Osteomyelitis ; surgery ; Suppuration

AIMTo investigate the pharmacokinetics of doxorubicin alginate microspheres (DOX-AM) in vivo after hepatic arterial embolization.

METHODSChina miniature pigs were chosen as the experimental animals. Transcatheter hepatic arterial chemoembolization (TACE) with DOX-AM (experimental group), lipiodol and DOX (DOX-lipiodol, control group 1), and infusion with DOX (control group 2) were performed after angiography and superselection of an intrahepatic branch of hepatic artery. After chemoembolization or infusion, the blood was collected at different time intervals. Drug concentration in plasma was measured by HLPC and the parameters of pharmacokinetics were calculated.

RESULTSThe values of T1/2, AUC, Cmax, and MRT of the DOX-AM were significantly different from those of control group 1 and control group 2. After embolization, the DOX-AM embolized in the vessel and still retained there at 8 weeks. The digital subtraction arteriography (DSA) and computerized tomography (CT) showed the reliable embolization results. The histological examination indicated that the liver damnifications were changed transitorily in all groups (P < 0.05) and were recovered within two weeks. The liver damnifications increased in following order: DOX < DOX-AM < DOX-lipiodol.

CONCLUSIONDOX-AM showed definite property of delayed release of drug in liver, and increased the retention time and concentration of DOX after embolization in vivo.

Alginates ; chemistry ; Angiography, Digital Subtraction ; Animals ; Antibiotics, Antineoplastic ; administration & dosage ; pharmacokinetics ; Area Under Curve ; Chemoembolization, Therapeutic ; Doxorubicin ; administration & dosage ; blood ; pharmacokinetics ; Drug Carriers ; Female ; Hepatic Artery ; diagnostic imaging ; metabolism ; Iodized Oil ; chemistry ; Liver ; blood supply ; diagnostic imaging ; metabolism ; Male ; Microspheres ; Particle Size ; Swine ; Swine, Miniature ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the availability of tonsillectomy in patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) staged as Friedman I.

METHODSFifty-six patients with OSAHS in Friedman stage I who refused uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) received tonsillectomy merely from January 2004 to March 2010. There were 20 mild, 24 moderate and 12 serious patients respectively in this group. The other 68 OSAHS patients in Friedman stage I received UPPP at the same time as matched group, including 26 mild, 28 moderate and 14 serious patients.

RESULTSThere was no significant difference before operation in terms of age, body mass index, apnea hypopnea index (AHI), the lowest pulse oxygen saturation (SPO(2)) and average SPO(2) between the two groups. There were significant difference in mean length of operation (U = 0.000, P < 0.01), hospitalization day (U = 458.5, P < 0.01), visual analogue scale after surgery (U = 0.000, P < 0.01) in these two group. There was no significant difference in surgical effective rate between the two groups (χ(2) = 0.857, P > 0.05). There was also no significant difference in terms of age, body mass index, AHI, the lowest SPO(2) and average SPO(2) after operation between the two groups (t test P > 0.05). The surgical effective rate for the long term of the two groups was equal (χ(2) = 0.857, P > 0.05). Even patients with serious OSAHS in Friedman stage I, the surgical effective rate of the two groups was equivalent (Fisher's exact test, P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSTonsillectomy is a safe and effective surgery for OSAHS in Friedman stage I, whose main structural load lies in the hypertrophic tonsil. It should be the first surgical choice for OSAHS in Friedman stage I.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive ; classification ; surgery ; Tonsillectomy ; Young Adult

Objective: To observe the intervention effect of auricular point sticking on dry eye in myopia patients after small-incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) surgery.Methods: This was a prospective randomized controlled study conducted among the myopia patients who received SMILE surgery at Eye and ENT Hospital of Fudan University. The post-SMILE operation patients who screened by the inclusion and exclusion criteria were randomized into a control group and a treatment group. Patients in the control group were given 0.1％ fluorometholone and 0.5％ carboxymethylcellulose sodium eye drops, while the treatment group was given additional unilateral auricular point sticking for 1 month. The patients were estimated using ocular surface disease index (OSDI), Schirmer tear test-1 (STT-1), tear film break-up time (TF-BUT), corneal fluorescein staining (CFS) score, corneal sensitivity (CS) and visual quality (VQ) at 1 d, 1 week and 1 month after surgery; the changes in anxiety and depression were also observed in the patients. Results: Compared with the first day after operation, CS in the nasal region was improved in the treatment group, and the VQ score increased in the control group patients at 1 week after operation (both P<0.05); at 1 month after operation, the TF-BUT increased, CFS score decreased, CS in the central and nasal regions increased (all P<0.05), and VQ score increased (P<0.01) in the treatment group, and the CS in the central, upper, lower and nasal regions were improved (all P<0.05), and VQ score increased (P<0.01) in the control group. The between-group comparison showed that the differences in the change of TF-BUT were statistically significant at 1 week and 1 month after surgery, respectively (both P<0.05). Conclusion: Auricular point sticking therapy can increase the TF-BUT and accelerate the repair of ocular surface function in post-SMILE patients.

Objective:To observe the effect of moxibustion on the protein and mRNA expressions of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF)and corticotropin-releasing factor receptor 1 (CRFR1) in hypothalamus of trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced experimental colitis rats,and to explore the central mechanisms of moxibustion in improving visceral pain and the pain-related emotions in experimental colitis rats.Methods:Thirty-six Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into a normal group (NG),a model group (MG),a herb-partitioned moxibustion group (HPMG) and a sham herb-partitioned moxibustion group (SHPMG).Except the NG,rats in the remaining three groups all received TNBS enema to establish experimental colitis models.The HPMG received herb-partitioned moxibustion (HPM) at bilateral Tianshu (ST 25) and Qihai (CV 6) for intervention;for the SHPMG,the herbal cakes and moxa cones were only placed on the acupoints but not ignited;rats in the MG and NG were only fixed in the same way as those in the HPMG but did not receive any treatment.At the end of the intervention,the abdominal withdrawal reflex (AWR) score,the open field test (OFT) score and the elevated plus maze (EPM) score were observed to measure the changes in visceral pain and pain-related emotions of the rats.The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to examine the expressions of CRF and CRFR1 proteins in hypothalamus;the fluorescence-based quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect the expressions of CRF and CRFR1 mRNAs in hypothalamus.Results:Compared with the NG,the AWR score increased significantly and the OFT and EPM scores dropped significantly in the MG (all P＜0.05),and the expressions of hypothalamic CRF and CRFR1 proteins and mRNAs increased significantly (all P＜0.01).Compared with the MG and SHPMG,the AWR score dropped significantly and the OFT and EPM scores increased significantly in the HPMG (all P＜0.01),and the expressions of hypothalamic CRF and CRFR1 proteins and mRNAs decreased significantly (all P＜0.05).There were no significant differences between the MG and the SHPMG (all P＞0.05).Conclusion:HPM can down-regulate the abnormally increased expressions of CRF and CRFR1 proteins and mRNAs in hypothalamus of the TNBS-induced experimental colitis rats,which is plausibly one of its action mechanisms in mitigating visceral pain and the pain-related emotions in the experimental colitis rats.