Ebola virus disease (EVD) is a severe infectious disease caused by Ebola virus in humans and primates. The main clinical features are fever and bleeding. The disease was first identified in Zaire and Sudan in Africa in 1976. Since then, it has caused many large-scale epidemics in Africa. One of the largest and most complex Ebola outbreaks in history was the 2014-2016 outbreak in West Africa, which caused more cases and deaths than all previous outbreaks combined. As of 2022, about 35 000 EVD cases and 15 000 deaths have been reported. During the African pandemic, EVD also spread to other regions outside the African continent, such as the Americas and Europe, and became a public health issue of worldwide concern. In Africa, the re-emergence of the disease in Uganda and the Republic of Congo in 2022 has attracted much attention from the world. This article systematically summarizes the history, epidemiological distribution, route of infection, clinical symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, prevention and control of Ebola virus disease, so as to provide reference for relevant workers in China.

Endoscopy ; Humans ; Skull Base ; anatomy & histology ; surgery

OBJECTIVE:To establish a method of quick identification of Fufang yuxingcao tablel(manufactured by A). METH-ODS:NIRDRS was adopted,the near-infrared diffuse reflectance spectrum were recorded by a fiber optic probe,and the conformi-ty test model was established through the consistency index (CI) value and the CI limit comparison method. The spectral range of 9 002-7 497.8 cm-1 ,6 903.8-5 596.4 cm-1 and 5 002.4-4 246.4 cm-1 was selected as the characteristic spectral band ,the spectra were preprocessed by first derivation and vector normalization with 17 smoothing points , and 7.0 was set as the CI value;the characteristic spectrum correlation coefficient model was established through the correlation coefficient method ,the spectral range of 6 200-5 500 cm-1,5 000-4 700 cm-1 was selected as the characteristic spectral band,the spectra were preprocessed by first deri-vation with 17 smoothing points,and 97% was set as the threshold. RESULTS:The above established models can rapidly identify and accurately distinguish Fufang yuxingcao tablet(manufactured by A)from similar products of other manufacturers,the CI value of the validation samples was beyond 7.0,the correlation coefficient(r)were less than 97% compared with the reference sample. CONCLUSIONS:The method is simple and rapid,and can be used for fast screening of Fufang yuxingcao tablet.

BACKGROUND: Nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptor plays an important role against inflammatory responses caused by pathogens and non-pathogens, as well as in the initial stage of autoimmune response. Meanwhile, NOD2 and NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) are the representative proteins of NOD-like receptor family. OBJECTIVE: To detect the expression of NOD2 and NLRP3 in a rabbit model of osteoarthritis. METHODS: Thirty New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into six groups (n=5 per group), including five experimental groups (2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 weeks) and one control group. The model of osteoarthritis was established by fixing the left knee joints using plaster cast, and were sacrificed at postoperative 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 weeks. The controls received no intervention, and were killed at 10 weeks postoperatively. The left distal femur articular cartilage was taken for safranin-fast green staining. The pathological changes were evaluated by Mankin's scores, and the expression levels of NOD2 and NLRP3 were detected by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The Mankin's scores in the experimental groups were significantly higher than those in the control group (P <0.01). Moreover, the scores in the experimental groups were significantly increased with time (P < 0.01). The expression levels of NOD2 and NLRP3 in the chondrocytes were also increased with time (P < 0.01). These results indicate that the expresison of NOD2 and NLRP3 in the cartilage cells is positively correlated with the pathological changes of osteoarthritis, which may be through promoting apoptosis in cartilage cells, thus accelerating the development of osteoarthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the expression pattern of caspase-3 and HCLS1-associated protein X-1 (HAX-1) at different time after cerebral contusion in rat, and explore the new method for estimating the injury interval. METHODS: The cerebral contusion model was established using adult SD male rats. Then the rats were randomly allocated into 8 groups: 2 h, 6 h, 12 h, 1 d, 3 d, and 7 d after cerebral contusion, sham-operation and normal control. Expression of caspase-3 and HAX-1 protein after cerebral contusion in rat was detected by Western blotting. Laser scanning confocal microscope was used to observe the number of HAX-1 positive cells and TUNEL-stained cells after cerebral contusion. RESULTS: The expression of caspase-3 increased parallelly with the time after cerebral contusion and reached the peak value on 3 d. The expression of caspase-3 decreased gradually and still maintained a high level expression on 7 d (P < 0.05). The expression of HAX-1 positive cell went up after injury, and reached the peak value at 6 h (P < 0.05), then turned down gradually after 12 h and went out of detection after 3 d. The number of TUNEL-stained cells increased obviously at 2 h and reached the peak value on 3 d. The number of TUNEL-stained apoptotic cells decreased gradually and still maintained a high level expression on 7 d (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION The expression of caspase-3 and HAX-1 after cerebral contusion has time sequential regularity, which may provide new evidence for forensic diagnosis of cerebral contusion interval.
Animals ; Blotting, Western ; Brain Injuries/pathology* ; Carrier Proteins/metabolism* ; Caspase 3/metabolism* ; Cerebellum/pathology* ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

AIMTo investigate the intraspecific variation of Carthamus tinctorius L. (safflower) and establish foundation for further breeding of safflower germplasm resource and screening the quality correlation genes.

METHODSAmplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) was carried out to analyze genetic variation of 28 safflower populations collected in China. Unweighed pair-group method of with arithmetical averages (UPGMA) cluster analysis was used to construct a dendrogram and to estimate the genetic distances among the populations.

RESULTSAll populations could be uniquely distinguished using 12 selected primer combinations. Similarity coefficients ranged from 0.48 to 0.96 among the populations. Dendrogram revealed distinct segregation of all the cultivars into three main groups and one midst group.

CONCLUSIONLimited genetic diversity exists within the tested 28 collections at intra specific level and AFLP-based phyiogeny was not absolutely consistent with that based on morphological characters may be due to the interaction effect between genotype and environment.

Carthamus tinctorius ; genetics ; Cluster Analysis ; DNA, Plant ; analysis ; Genetic Variation ; Phylogeny ; Plants, Medicinal ; genetics ; Polymorphism, Genetic

Antibiotics, Antineoplastic ; pharmacology ; Breast Neoplasms ; enzymology ; pathology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Doxorubicin ; pharmacology ; Drug Resistance, Multiple ; drug effects ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm ; drug effects ; Female ; Glucosyltransferases ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Humans ; Oligodeoxyribonucleotides, Antisense ; genetics ; RNA, Messenger ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Transfection

Objective To study the effect of platelet-derived growth factor(PDGF)and lysosomes on lung injury in macaque with early-phase endotoxie shock.Method Eleven macaques were randomly divided into two groups,namely,control group(Co group,n=5)iand endotoxic group(En group,n=6).The macaque of the Co group injected with 1 ml/kg normal saline and the macque of the En group received a dose of 2.8 mg/kg Lipopolysaccharides(LPS)i.v.The blood gas was detected at 120 minutes after LPS challenging. Uhrastructure,cytochemistry of acid phosphatase(ACPase)detection by electronic microscopy and immunohistochemical assay of PDGF were completed in hmgs of all the macaque .Results Administration of LPS did not change the parameters of gas exchange,namely,PaO_2,PaO_2/Fi and PaCO_2.In the early phase,of endotoxic shock,ACPase activity products increased and lysosome destroyed in the alveolar cells.The pathologic changes of alveolus,such as degeneration of vessel endothelium,injury of alveolar epithelium and damage of basement membrane,and transudation of blood component were observed by electron microscopy in the En group. However,no pathological changes were found in the control group.By immunohistochemical staining,PDGF on alveolar wall in the En animals was observed,whereas no PDGF protein in the Co macaques was noticed. Conclusions Administration of LPS induced the expression of PDGF in the alveolar wall and lysosome injury in the alveolar cells,as a result of alveolar damage in early-phase endotoxin shock.In the meantime,the parameters of gas exchanges did not change.The PDGF may play an important role in the pathogenesis of lung during the early-phase of endotoxin shock.

This study was purposed to investigate the colony formation of high-proliferative potential colony-forming units (CFU-HPP) from bone marrow-derived hematopoietic cells of psoriatic patients and p16 gene promotor methylation in CFU-HPP cells, and to explore the relationship between the colony formation and the methylation status of p16 gene promoter. Bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells from psoriatic patients and normal controls were separated by density gradient centrifugation, and were cultured in methycellulose semi-solid culture medium with SCF, GM-CSF, IL-3 and IL-6 for 14 days to measure the colonies of CFU-HPP. The CFU-HPP colony cells were collected and methylation status of p16 gene promoter of CFU-HPP cell DNA modified with sodium bisulfite was detected by the methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MSP). The results showed that in methycellulose semi-solid culture system, the number and the size of CFU-HPP colonies of bone marrow of psoriatic patients were all significantly less than that of normal controls, the positive frequency of p16 gene promoter methylation in CFU-HPP cells was lower than that in CFU-HPP colony cells of normal controls. It is concluded that the colony formation capability of CFU-HPP from bone marrow hematopoietic progenitor cells in psoriatic patients is lower than that in normal controls, and the lower positive frequency of P16 gene promoter methylation in CFU-HPP cells perhaps closely correlated with lower CFU-HPP colony-forming capability.
Cell Proliferation ; Colony-Forming Units Assay ; DNA Methylation ; Genes, p16 ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells ; pathology ; Humans ; Promoter Regions, Genetic ; genetics ; Psoriasis ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology

BACKGROUNDCancer of the esophagus and gastroesophageal junction remains a virulent malignancy with poor prognosis. Rapid progresses were made in chemotherapeutic agents and the development of molecular markers allowed better identification of candidates for targeted therapy. This study aimed to identify the candidate peptides used for anti-angiogenic therapy of esophageal cancer by in vivo screening C7C peptide library for peptides binding specifically to blood vessels of human esophageal cancer.

METHODSThe phage displayed C7C peptide library was injected intravenously into mice bearing human esophageal tumor xenografts under renal capsule. After 5 rounds of screening, 13 clones were picked up individually and sequenced. During each round of screening, titers of phage recovery were calculated from tumor xenograft and control tissues. Homing of these 9 peptides to tumor vessel was detected by calculating phage titers in the tumor xenograft and control tissues (lung and spleen) after each phage was injected into mice model, and compared with the distribution of phage M13 and VIII-related antigen in tumor xenograft by immunohistochemical staining. Comparisons among groups of data were made using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by the Bonferroni multiple comparisons test.

RESULTSThe number of phage recovered from tumor tissue of each round increased gradually in tumor group while decreased in control groups (P < 0.01 in tumor and spleen, P < 0.05 in lung). Immunohistochemical staining showed similar staining pattern with M13 antibody or VIII-related antigen antibody, suggesting that phages displaying the selected peptides could home to blood vessel of human esophageal cancer. According to their DNA, 9 corresponding peptide sequences were deduced. And the homing ability to blood vessel of phages displaying the selected peptides was confirmed by comparing with their recovery in tumor and control tissues. Two motifs, YSXNXW and PXNXXN, were also obtained by analyzing the homology of these peptide sequences. The staining distribution of phage with the sequence of PNPNNST was similar to that of the blood vessel marker factor VIII-related antigen staining. After sequencing, each phage with the selected peptide of PNPNNST with 1.0 × 10(11) pfu/ml was injected intravenously into mice. The homing ability to tumor vessel of these 9 kinds of peptides in the xenograft was higher than control tissues (lung and spleen).

CONCLUSIONNine peptides obtained from in vivo screening homed to the blood vessel of human esophageal cancer, and the two motifs of YSXNXW and PXNXXN are the possible biochemical recognition units binding to vascular endothelial cells of esophageal cancer.

Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Endothelial Cells ; drug effects ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; blood supply ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Peptide Library ; Peptides ; therapeutic use