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