Objective To obtain the prevalence data on human T Lymphotropic virus (HTLV) infection in 2 339 blood donors of an endemic coastal region of Fujian, China. Methods Serum antibodies to HTLV in the donors were detected by a home made double antigen sandwitch ELISA kit. All the ELISA positive samples were further confirmed by Western blot (WB) and/or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) combined with sequencing. Results Nine samples were confirmed as HTLV 1 infection among the 2 339 donors. A man whose wife is one of the nine was also detected to infect by WB and PCR. Conclusion The prevalence of HTLV infection was 0.38% in the endemic coastal region of Fujian, China.

Objective To investigate the relationship betweenthe stability of carotid artery plaque and cystatin C,homocysteine. Methods A total of 1 50 cerebral infarction patients with carotid artery plaque treated in Hospital of the First Electricity Authority in Guangdong were selected as the research subjects.According to Color Doppler ultrasound scanning,the patients were divided into the observation group (86 unstable plaque patients)and control group(64 stable plaque patients).Peripheral venous blood from the patients of both groups were collected for the detection of cystatin C,homocysteine,serum total cholesterol and fibrinogen levels and the results of detection were compared between the two groups.Results The levels of cystatin C,homocysteine,serum total choles-terol and fibrinogen in the observation group were significant higher than those of the control group(t =48.760,20.530,29.860, 33.720,P <0.05).The level of cystatin C was weak positive correlated with homocysteine(r =0.21,P <0.003).Multivariate lo-gistic regression analysis showed cystatin C,homocysteine,serum total cholesterol and fibrinogen were independent risk factors for carotid artery plaque instability in patients with cerebral infarction.Conclusion Cystatin C,homocysteine,serum total cholesterol and fibrinogen are important risk factors for carotid plaque instability,the cerebral infarction is closely related to the carotid artery plaque stability,so controlling the risk factors is the focus of prevention and treatment of cerebral infarction.

EEG Synchronization is considered the conformity of the brain functional areas. Advanced brain function requires many nervous systems with a specific function in relevant brain regions (areas) to achieve integration and coordination at different levels. In this paper, a new method for phase synchronization analysis-Mutually Approximate Entropy is proposed to process different frequency band of EEG signal during audio-visual stimulation and get Similar results with the method of Synchronization Index and Mutual Information Entropy. This showed that the Mutually Approximate Entropy can lead to a good indication of the phase synchronization between two leads. The paper also explored the brain reaction zone by the results of the phase synchronization analysis. The research work lays the foundation for the brain-computer interface design.
Acoustic Stimulation ; Auditory Cortex ; physiology ; Brain ; physiology ; Electroencephalography Phase Synchronization ; physiology ; Entropy ; Humans ; Photic Stimulation ; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Visual Cortex ; physiology

Objective To improve the diagnostic and therapeutic ability of Brucellosis by analyzing the epidemic and clinical characteristics.Methods A retrospective analysis was done on the data of Brucellosis patients treated in our hospital from 2007 to 2016.Results Since the first case was diagnosed in 2012,27 patients [19 male and 8 female,mean age (44.4 ± 16.9) years] were confirmed by clinical manifestations and positive bacterial cultures results.The annual number of cases from 2012 to 2016 was 1,1,6,4 and 15.Among them,10 cases (37.0％) had a history of close contact with goat,7 cases (25.9％)with raw mutton,1 case (3.7％) with raw beef and 1 case (3.7％) with suspicious laboratory contamination while 8 cases (29.6％) had no evident risk factors for Brucellosis.The common clinical manifestation included fever (81.5％),lumbago/joint pain (55.6％),fatigue (33.3％) and hyperhidrosis (22.2％).The white blood cell count was normal among 20 cases (74.1％) while 6 cases (22.2％) with leukopenia.Mild to moderate anemia in 20 cases (74.1％) and decreased platelet number in 4 case (14.8％).The percentage of elevated alanine aminotransferase,aspartate aminotransferase and lactate dehydrogenase was 32.0％,48.0％ and 100％,respectively.Decreased albumin level was found in 23 cases (92.0％).The percentage of elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR),C-reactive protein and serum ferritin 75.0％,82.3％ and 77.8％,respectively,while 12 cases (85.7％) with procalcitonin level below 0.5 ng/L.According to follow-up for at least half year,all the cases were cured by active medical management.Conclusions The number of Brucellosis cases is rapidly increasing in our hospital.It's of great significance to know the epidemic and clinical characteristics of Brucellosis.

Objective To evaluate the effect of ambroxol on p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway in mice with sepsis-induced lung injury.Methods Sixty male C57BL/6 mice were equally and randomly divided into 3 groups (n=20 each) using a random number table:sham operation group (group S),sepsis-induced lung injury group (group CLP),and sepsis-induced lung injury + ambroxol group (group AMB).Sespsis was produced by cecal ligation and puncture(CLP).Ambroxol 50 mg/kg preconditioning was injected intraperitoneally for 3 days in group AMB,while the equal volume of normal saline instead was given in S and VILI groups.The arterial blood gas was detected 24 h after CLP.Then the mice were sacrificed and broncho-alveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was collected for determination of the concentrations of total protein,interleukin-1β (IL-1β),tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α),IL-6 and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1).The lung tissues were taken for determination of wet to dry lung weight ratio (W/D ratio),expression of p-p38 MAPK,IL-1β mRNA,TNF-α mRNA,IL-6 mRNA and ICAM-1 mRNA,and for examination of the pathological changes which were scored.Results Compared with group S,partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood(PaO2) was decreased (P＜0.05),and W/D ratio,lung injury score,concentrations of total protein,IL-1β,TNF-α,IL-6 and ICAM-1 in BALF,and expression of p-p38 MAPK,IL-1β,TNF-α,IL-6 and ICAM-1 mRNA were significantly increased in CLP group (P＜0.05).Compared with group CLP,PaO2 was increased (P＜0.05),W/D ratio,lung injury score,concentrations of total protein,IL-1β,TNF-α,IL-6 and ICAM-1 in BALF,and expression of p-p38 MAPK,IL-1β,TNF-α,IL-6 and ICAM-1 mRNA were decreased in group AMB (P＜0.05).Conclusion Ambroxol can attenuate sepsis-induced lung injury probably through inhibiting p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway in mice.

ObjectiveTo investigate the therapeutic effect of Qingjie Huagong decoction （QJHGD） on a mouse model of severe acute pancreatitis （SAP） and the mechanism of action of QJHGD against inflammatory response. MethodsA total of 36 male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into blank group， model group， Western medicine group （ulinastatin）， and low-， middle-， and high-dose QJHGD groups， with 6 mice in each group. All mice except those in the blank group were given 5% sodium taurocholate by retrograde pancreaticobiliary injection to establish a model of SAP. After modeling， the mice in the low-， middle-， and high-dose groups were given QJHGD （1， 2， and 4 g/kg， respectively） by gavage， and those in the Western medicine group were given intraperitoneal injection of ulinastatin （5×10⁴ U/kg）， for 7 days in total. HE staining was used to observe the histopathological changes of the pancreas； ELISA was used to measure the levels of α-amylase， lipase， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， interleukin-8 （IL-8）， interleukin-18 （IL-18）， and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） in mice； RT-qPCR was used to measure the mRNA expression levels of NOD-like receptor protein3 （NLRP3）， Toll-like receptor 4 （TLR4）， and nuclear factor-kappa B （NF-κB） in pancreatic tissue； immunohistochemistry was used to measure the positive expression rates of NLRP3， TLR4， and NF-κB in pancreatic tissue； Western blot was used to measure the protein expression levels of NLRP3， TLR4， NF-κB， IL-1β， and IL-6. An analysis of variance was used for comparison of continuous data between multiple groups， and the least significant difference t-test was used for further comparison between two groups. ResultsCompared with the blank group， the model group had diffuse destruction of pancreatic tissue structure， focal dilatation of pancreatic lobular septum， pancreatic acinar atrophy， and massive inflammatory cell infiltration， as well as significant increases in the content of α-amylase， lipase， IL-1β， IL-6， IL-8， IL-18， and TNF-α （all P<0.05）， the mRNA expression levels and positive expression rates of NLRP3， TLR4， and NF-κB （all P<0.05）， and the protein expression levels of NLRP3， TLR4， NF-κB， IL-1β， and IL-6 （all P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， the low-， middle-， and high-dose QJHGD groups and the Western medicine group had slightly tighter and more intact structure of pancreatic tissue， ordered arrangement of pancreatic acinar cells， a small amount of inflammatory cell infiltration， and hemorrhagic foci of pancreatic lobules， as well as significant reductions in the content of α-amylase， lipase， IL-1β， IL-6， IL-8， IL-18， and TNF-α （all P<0.05）， the mRNA expression levels and positive expression rates of NLRP3， TLR4， and NF-κB （all P<0.05）， and the protein expression levels of NLRP3， TLR4， NF-κB， IL-1β， and IL-6 （all P<0.05）. ConclusionQJHGD may exert a protective effect on the pancreatic tissue of SAP mice by inhibiting the activation of NLRP3/TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway-related proteins， reducing the release of inflammatory mediators， and preventing the enhancement of inflammatory cascade response.

OBJECTIVE: To determine features of the clinical manifestation in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), and to provide a scientific basis for diagnosis of PBC.
 METHODS: A total of 102 patients with PBC treated in the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, from January 2013 to January 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients' general condition, clinical manifestations, serum biochemical and immunological parameters were detected.
 RESULTS: Of the 102 PBC patients, 91 (89.21%) patients were female. The main symptoms in these patients were fatigue, poor appetite, dry mouth, nausea, vomiting, pruritus, stomachache, and abdominal distension. The major signs were jaundice, splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, edema, and ascites. The main features of serum biochemical parameters in these patients included the increase of alkaline phosphatase and gamma glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT), especially the GGT. The anti-mitochondrial antibodies-M2 (AMA-M2) in 81 and 21 patients was positive and negative, respectively. The differences between the AMA-MA positive and negative groups were not statistically significant (P>0.05). According to clinical manifestation, 102 patients were classified into 2 groups: A non-cirrhosis group (n=56) and a cirrhosis group (n=46). The positive rates in these 2 groups, such as ANA, AMA-M2, anti-gp210, anti-Sp100, anti-Ro52, anti-PML, were 54.35%, 89.13%, 41.30%, 13.04%, 43.38% and 10.87% vs 57.14%, 71.43%, 42.86%, 12.5%, 51.79% and 3.71%, respectively, with no significant difference between them (P>0.05). However, there was significant difference in the positive rate of anti-3E-EPO between the above 2 groups (86.78% vs 58.93%, P<0.05). The positive rates of AMA-M2 and anti-3E-EPO in 30 patients diagnosed by hepatic histopathological examination were higher than those of other antibodies.
 CONCLUSION PBC mainly affects middle-aged women, and its clinical manifestation is various. The autoantibody tests play an important role in diagnosis of PBC. Checking for AMA-A2 and anti-3E-BPO can improve the positive rate of PBC. Liver histopathological examination may provide useful information on disease severity, which can determine the histological stage when the patient's serum autoantibodies are negative.
Alkaline Phosphatase ; metabolism ; Autoantibodies ; blood ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Male ; Mitochondria ; Retrospective Studies ; gamma-Glutamyltransferase ; metabolism

Objective: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir (OBV/PTV/r) 25/150/100 mg once daily combined with dasabuvir 250mg, twice daily in non-cirrhotic Chinese adult patients with newly diagnosed and treated chronic HCV genotype 1b infection. Methods: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter phase 3 clinical trial was conducted in mainland China, Korea, and Taiwan.Safety and efficacy of OBV/PTV/r plus DSV administered for 12 weeks were evaluated in a newly diagnosed and treated (interferon alpha /pegylated interferon alpha) and ribavirin non-cirrhotic adults with chronic HCVgenotype 1b infection. Patients randomly received OBV/PTV/r plus DSV for 12 weeks (Group A), or placebo for 12 weeks (Group B) followed by an open-label phase of OBV/PTV/r plus DSV for 12 weeks. Sustained response (SVR12) rate obtained at 12 weeks and (SVR24) 24 weeks after discontinuation of treatment, and the incidence of adverse events and laboratory abnormalities after double-blind and open-label phase treatment were assessed. Results: A total of 410 cases of Chinese patients were included and randomly assigned to group A and B (with 205 cases in each group) in a 1:1 ratio. The rates of SVR12 and SVR24 were 99% (95% CI: 94.8% - 99.8%) in the newly diagnosed patients in group A (205 patients) and the rates of SVR12 and SVR24 were 100% in treated patients (95% CI: 96.3% - 100%). Different baseline characteristics had no effect on SVR12 and SVR24 rates. Most of the adverse events occurred were mild, asymptomatic, and≥ 3 laboratory abnormalities during treatment were rare, including elevation of alanine aminotransferase (2 cases in double-blind stage A group), aspartate aminotransferase (Double-blind stage A (3 cases) and total bilirubin (1 case in open-label phase B group); however, those mild adverse events could be recovered after drug withdrawal or discontinuation. only1 person discontinued drugs due to adverse events (Group B, open-label phase). Conclusion The 12 weeks treatment course of OBV/PTV/r combined with DSV produced 99% ~ 100% rates of SVR12 and SVR24 in non-cirrhotic Asian adult patients with newly diagnosed and treated chronic HCV genotype 1b infection, and the tolerance and safety were good.

Background Bacteria are the most diverse and widely sourced microorganisms in the indoor air of subway stations, where pathogenic bacteria can spread through the air, leading to increased health risks. Objective To understand the status and distribution characteristics of indoor air bacterial pollution in subway stations and compartments in a city of Central South China, and to provide a scientific basis for formulating intervention measures to address indoor air bacteria pollution in subways. Methods Three subway stations and the compartments of trains parking there in a city in Central South China were selected according to passenger flow for synchronous air sampling and monitoring. Temperature, humidity, wind speed, carbon dioxide (CO₂), fine particulate matter (PM_2.5), and inhalable particulate matter (PM₁₀) were measured by direct reading method. In accordance with the requirements of Examination methods for public places-Part 3: Airborne microorganisms (GB/T 18204.3-2013), air samples were collected at a flow rate of 28.3 L·min⁻¹, and total bacterial count was estimated. Bacterial microbial species were identified with a mass spectrometer and pathogenic bacteria were distinguished from non-pathogenic bacteria according to the Catalogue of pathogenic microorganisms transmitted to human beings issued by National Health Commission. Kruskal-Wallis H test was used to compare the subway hygiene indicators in different regions and time periods, and Bonferroni test was used for pairwise comparison. Spearman correlation test was used to evaluate the correlation between CO₂ concentration and total bacterial count. Results The pass rates were 100.0% for airborne total bacteria count, PM_2.5, and PM₁₀ in the subway stations and train compartments, 94.4% for temperature and wind speed, 98.6% for CO₂, but 0% for humidity. The overall median (P₂₅, P₇₅) total bacteria count was 177 (138,262) CFU·m⁻³. Specifically, the total bacteria count was higher in station halls than in platforms, and higher during morning peak hours than during evening peak hours (P<0.05). A total of 874 strains and 82 species were identified by automatic microbial mass spectrometry. The results of identification were all over 9 points, and the predominant bacteria in the air were Micrococcus luteus (52.2%) and Staphylococcus hominis (9.8%). Three pathogens, Acinetobacter baumannii (0.3%), Corynebacterium striatum (0.1%), and Staphylococcus epidermidis bacilli (2.2%) were detected in 23 samples (2.6%), and the associated locations were mainly distributed in train compartments during evening rush hours. Conclusion The total bacteria count in indoor air varies by monitoring sites of subway stations and time periods, and there is a risk of opportunistic bacterial infection. Attention should be paid to cleaning and disinfection during peak passenger flow hours in all areas.

Objective: To investigate the efficacy and safety of the new investigational drug pegylated interferon α-2b (Peg-IFN-α-2b) (Y shape, 40 kD) injection (180 µg/week) combined with ribavirin in the treatment of patients with genotype 1/6 chronic hepatitis C (CHC), with standard-dose Peg-IFN-α-2a combined with ribavirin as a positive control. Methods: A multicenter, randomized, open-label, and positive-controlled phase III clinical trial was performed. Eligible patients with genotype 1/6 CHC were screened out and randomly divided into Peg-IFN-α-2b(Y shape, 40kD) group and Peg-IFN-α-2a group at a ratio of 2:1. The patients in both groups were given oral ribavirin for 48 weeks in addition and then followed up for 24 weeks after drug withdrawal. Abbott Real Time HCV Genotype II was used to determine HCV genotype, and Cobas TaqMan quantitative real-time PCR was used to measure HCV RNA level at 0, 4, 12, 24, 48, and 72 weeks. Adverse events were recorded in detail. The primary efficacy endpoint was sustained virological response (SVR), and a non-inferiority test was also performed. Results: A total of 561 patients with genotype 1/6 CHC were enrolled, among whom 529 received treatment; 90.9% of these patients had genotype 1 CHC. The data of the full analysis set showed that SVR rate was 69.80% (95% CI 65.00%-74.60%) in the trial group and 74.16% (95% CI 67.73%-80.59%) in the control group (P = 0.297 0). The data of the per protocol set (PPS) showed that SVR rate was 80.63% (95% CI 76.04%-85.23%) in the trial group and 81.33% (95% CI 75.10%-87.57%) in the control group (P = 0.849 8), and the 95% CI of rate difference conformed to the non-inferiority standard. The analysis of the PPS population showed that of all subjects, 47.9% achieved rapid virologic response, with a positive predictive value of 93.8%. The incidence rate of adverse events was 96.30% in the trial group and 94.94% in the control group, and the incidence rate of serious adverse events was 5.13% in the trail group and 5.06% in the control group. Conclusion In the regimen of Peg-IFN-α combined with ribavirin for the treatment of genotype 1/6 CHC, the new investigational drug Peg-IFN-α-2b(Y shape, 40 kD) has comparable clinical effect and safety to the control drug Peg-IFN-α-2a.