AIM: To study the effects of Bingcha Embolus on the proliferation, apoptosis and cell cycle of astrocytes in vitro in terms of serum pharmacology. METHODS: The cerebral cortex astrocytes of neonatal Sprague-Dawley rats were cultivated in vitro, and the purified astrocytes were randomly devided into Bingcha Embolus groups (high dose, middle dose, low dose) and control group after being identified by means of immunocytochemical method. After the incubation of 48 h with sera, MTT was employed as a proper method to detect the proliferation of astrocytes. The ratio of apoptosis and different cell cycle phases were measured by Flow Cytometry. RESULTS: The results of MTT showed that the cell number of Bingcha Embolus groups (high dose, middle dose) were obviously fewer than that of the control group (P

To confirm the effect of 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7), pneumococcal nasopharyngeal (NP) carriage was compared between vaccinated (3 + 1 doses PCV7) and non-vaccinated children. Vaccinated subjects were recruited from highly vaccinated regions (> or = 60%), Seoul and Incheon whereas control subjects were recruited from Jeju Island where vaccination rates are low (< 15%). NP swabs were obtained from 400 children aged 18-59 months. Serotype and antibiotic susceptibility was analyzed. Pneumococcal carriage rate was 18.0% (36/200) and 31.5% (63/200) for the vaccinated and control group, respectively. Among those vaccinated, 41.7% (15/36) of the serotypes were vaccine-related type (VRT: 6A, 6C, 19A) with the most common serotype 6C. The next common type was non-typable/non-capsule 30.6% (11/36) followed by non-vaccine type 16.7% (6/36) and vaccine type (VT) serotypes were found in only 11.1% (4/36). In contrast, 52.4% (33/63) of the isolates in the control group were VT. Resistance rates for penicillin and erythromycin were lower in the vaccine group (vaccine vs control; penicillin 45.2% vs 71.4%, erythromycin 74.2% vs 90.5%, P < 0.05). Multi-drug resistance was also lower in vaccinated subjects (vaccine vs control; 45.2% vs 69.8%, P < 0.05). PCV7 reduces carriage in VT which leads to replacement of pneumococci by antibiotic susceptible VRT or non-vaccine type strains.
Adult ; Carrier State/*immunology/prevention & control ; Child ; *Child Day Care Centers ; Child, Preschool ; Humans ; *Immunization ; Infant ; Male ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Nasopharynx ; Pneumococcal Infections/*epidemiology/immunology/*prevention & control ; Pneumococcal Vaccines/*administration & dosage ; Prospective Studies ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Serotyping ; Streptococcus pneumoniae/*isolation & purification

OBJECTIVETo estimate the hospitalization rate of severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) cases attributable to influenza in Jingzhou city, Hubei province from 2010 to 2012.

METHODSSARI surveillance was conducted at four hospitals in Jingzhou city, Hubei province from 2010 to 2012. Inpatients meeting the SARI case definition and with informed consent were enrolled to collect their demographic information, clinical features, treatment, and disease outcomes, with their respiratory tract specimens collected for PCR test of influenza virus.

RESULTSFrom April, 2010 to September, 2012, 19 679 SARI cases enrolled were residents of Jingzhou, and nasopharyngeal swab was collected from 18 412 (93.6%) cases of them to test influenza virus and 13.3% were positive for influenza. During the three consecutive 2010-2012 flu seasons, laboratory-confirmed influenza was associated with 102 per 100 000, 132 per 100 000 and 244 per 100 000, respectively. As for the hospitalization rate attributable to specific type/subtype of influenza virus, 48 per 100 000, 30 per 100 000 and 24 per 100 000 were attributable to A (H3N2), A (H1N1) pdm2009, and influenza B, respectively in 2010-2011 season; 42 per 100 000 [A (H3N2)] and 90 per 100 000 (influenza B) in 2011-2012 season; 90 per 100 000 [A (H3N2)] and one per 100 000 [influenza B] from April, 2010 to September, 2012. SARI hospitalization caused by influenza A or B occurred both mainly among children younger than five years old, with the peak in children aged 0.5 year old.

CONCLUSIONInfluenza could cause a substantial number of hospitalizations and different viral type/subtype result in different hospitalizations over influenza seasons in Jingzhou city, Hubei province. Children less than five years old should be prioritized for influenza vaccination in China.

Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Demography ; Hospitalization ; Hospitals ; Humans ; Infant ; Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype ; Influenza A Virus, H3N2 Subtype ; Influenza, Human ; epidemiology ; Inpatients ; Laboratories ; Orthomyxoviridae ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; Seasons ; Vaccination