OBJECTIVETo summarize the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) infection in children with acute respiratory tract infection (ARI) in Guangzhou.

METHODSMP was detected using an indirect immunofluorescent method in 2084 children with ARI. The relations between MP infection rate and the gender, age, season, site of infection and wheezing diseases were analyzed.

RESULTSA total of 433 children (20.8%) were positive for MP, including 222 boys (19.8%) and 211 girls (21.9%) without significant difference in the infection rate between the genders (P>0.05). In 0- to 3-year-old group, 106 children were positive for MP (15.0%), while in 3- to 5-year-old group and 5- to 14-year-old group, 163 (25.2%) and 164 (22.5%) were positive, respectively, showing a significant difference in the infection rate between the 3 groups (P<0.05). The MP infection rate was 18.0% in January to March, 25.1% in April to June, 17.7% in July to September, and 20.5% in October to December, showing significant differences between the periods (P<0.05). No significant difference was found in the infection rate between children with acute upper respiratory tract infection (URI) and those with lower respiratory tract infection (LRI) (P>0.05). Among the children with LRI, those having wheezing disease had significantly higher MP positivity rate than those without wheezing.

CONCLUSIONMP is a common causative agent for ARI in children. MP infection is not related to gender and infection site, but to age and season. Children over 3 years old are vulnerable to MP infection. MP infection can be associated with wheezing in LRI.

Adolescent ; Age Factors ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mycoplasma pneumoniae ; isolation & purification ; Pneumonia, Mycoplasma ; epidemiology ; microbiology ; Prevalence ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; epidemiology ; microbiology ; Retrospective Studies ; Seasons

Objective To explore the siRNA as a new antiviral therapy,evaluate the inhibition effect of siRNA based on vector on the HBV of HepG2.2.15 cell,and observe the side effect and toxicity of siRNA vector on cells and the off-target effect of siRNA.Methods Three pairs of siRNA duplexes targeting HBV C gene were designed as double strands,and the duplex were annealed and ligated into the p-Silencer-Cmv 4.1-hygro vector.The ligation products were used to transform JM109 cells.The clones with shRNA were obtained,and the vectors were purified.After the initial identification of the vector with agarose gel and the size of the inserted sequence got examined by native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis,furthermore the sequencing was further carried out.The recombinant plasmids were purified with ultrapure Midipreps DNA Purification System.Then HepG2.2.15 cells were transfected with the plasmid mixed with siPort XP-1.The expression of HBsAg and HBeAg were detected by immunofluorescence and Western blot,and the HBV RNA was investigated by RT-PCR.Furthermore the real-time quantitive PCR was carried out to detect the changes of HBV DNA.In order to evaluate the toxicity of the shRNA,MTT was used to examine the growth rate and curve of cells.The ELISA was performed to detect the changes of interferon-? (IFN-?).Results The Western blot showed that the HBsAg and HBeAg protein were suppressed with (81.15?0.69)%,(88.12?0.92)% respectively by vector p-C2 on the third day of post-transfection.It had the similar result indicated by immunofluorescence.And the RT-PCR showed that the specific siRNA targeting HBV C gene could markedly suppress the expression of HBV mRNA and the HBV C gene mRNA was inhibited with 96.9%.The real-time quantitive PCR showed that the specific functional siRNA could markedly suppress HBV DNA copy with two orders of magnitude,while the siRNA vector had no effect on the growth of cell showed by MTT detection.Compared with the non-transfected group and p-NC group,the IFN-? level was almost the same with siRNA p-C1,p-C2,p-C3 groups.Conclusions The siRNA based on the expression vector can suppress the expression and replication of HBV in HepG2.2.15 cell.The inhibition effect was specific and had a certain dependency on siRNA concentration.No toxicity effect was found in the study.And the drug resistance wouldn′t happen because the silence was based on the split of gene.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common disease in elderly men, and transurethral laser prostatectomy (TULP) has been widely used in the clinic to remove bladder outlet obstruction caused by BPH. Previous animal models for wound repair after prostatectomy have many limitations, and there have been no previous reports of a mouse model of TULP. Therefore, this study aimed to establish a novel mouse model of TULP. Twelve healthy adult Kunming (KM) mice received transurethral laser vaporization prostatectomy with a 200-μm thulium laser. The mice were sacrificed, and wound specimens from the prostatic urethra and bladder neck were harvested at 1 day, 3 days, 5 days, and 7 days after surgery. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) and immunohistochemistry were applied to confirm the establishment of the mouse TULP model. One day after the surgery, urothelium expressing uroplakin (UPK) was absent in the urethral wound site, and a large number of necrotic tissues were found in the wound site. There was no UPK-positive urothelium in the wound 3 days after surgery. At 5 days after surgery, monolayer urothelium expressing UPK was found in the wound site, indicating that the re-epithelization of the wound had been completed. On the 7^th day after surgery, there were multiple layers of urothelium with UPK expression, indicating that the repair was completed. It is feasible to establish a mouse TULP model by using a microcystoscope system and a 200-μm thulium laser.
Aged ; Animals ; Humans ; Laser Therapy ; Male ; Mice ; Prostatectomy ; Prostatic Hyperplasia/surgery* ; Thulium ; Transurethral Resection of Prostate

OBJECTIVEIn mid-July 2005, five patients presented with septic shock to a hospital in Ziyang city in Sichuan, China, to identify the etiology of the unknown reason disease, an epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory study were conducted.

METHODSAn enhanced surveillance program were established in Sichuan, the following activities were introduced: active case finding in Sichuan of (a) laboratory diagnosed Streptococcus suis infection and (b) clinically diagnosed probable cases with exposure history; supplemented by (c) monitoring reports on meningococcal meningitis. Streptococcus suis serotype 2 infection was confirmed by culture and biochemical reactions, followed by sequencing for specific genes for serotype and virulence factors.

RESULTSFrom June 10 to August 21, 2005, 68 laboratory confirmed cases of human Streptococcus suis infections were reported. All were villagers who gave a history of direct exposure to deceased or sick pigs in their backyards where slaughtering was performed. Twenty six (38%) presented with toxic shock syndrome of which 15 (58%) died. Other presentations were septicaemia or meningitis. All isolates were tested positive for genes for tuf, species-specific 16S rRNA, cps2J, mrp, ef and sly. There were 136 clinically diagnosed probable cases with similar exposure history but incomplete laboratory investigations.

CONCLUSIONAn outbreak of human Streptococcus suis serotype 2 infections occurred in villagers after direct exposure to deceased or sick pigs in Sichuan. Prohibition of slaughtering in backyards brought the outbreak to a halt. A virulent strain of the bacteria is speculated to be in circulation, and is responsible for the unusual presentation of toxic shock syndrome with high case fatality.

Animals ; Bacteremia ; epidemiology ; microbiology ; China ; epidemiology ; Disease Outbreaks ; Humans ; Meningitis, Bacterial ; epidemiology ; microbiology ; Shock, Septic ; epidemiology ; microbiology ; Streptococcal Infections ; epidemiology ; microbiology ; veterinary ; Streptococcus suis ; isolation & purification ; Swine ; Swine Diseases ; microbiology

We conducted the present study to assess the correlation of the prostatic anatomical parameters, especially the ratio of peripheral zone thickness and transitional zone thickness, with clinical and uroflowmetry characteristics suggestive of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). A total of 468 consecutive patients with a detailed medical history were identified. All patients were evaluated by scoring subjective symptoms with the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and quality of life (QoL). The prostatic anatomical parameters were measured using transrectal ultrasonography, and postvoid residual urine and maximum flow rate (Q