The epidemic characteristics and genotype of Bacillus anthracis strains in Liaoning Province ,China was analyze in this study .Six Bacillus anthracis strains from 2001 to 2011 were studied with multiple‐locus variable‐number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) .BioNumerics4 .0 software was used to analyze the DNA fingerprint of statistics ,and cluster analysis results were obtained .Clustering analysis found that the 6 strains could be divided into two genotypes .For anthrax outbreaks ,the ge‐netic markers of multiple‐locus variable‐number tandem repeat were highly similar .It's suggested that MLVA is quite useful for investigation of strain relatedness in regions of outbreaks .

ObjectiveTo evaluate the implication of ultrasonographic features of primary breast cancer tumors and axillary lymph nodes in predicting axillary lymph nodes metastasis in patients with breast cancer.MethodsA total of 108 patients with breast cancer were underwent examination of primary breast tumors and axillary lymph nodes by high frequency linear-array probes of ultrasound.The ages of patients,locations of primary tumors,numbers of tumors,maximum diameters of tumors,the longitudinal transverse axis ratio of tumors,mass boundary,ultrasonic patterns,micro-calcification,classification of blood supply,color pixel density(CPD),peak systolic velocity,resistance index,the longitudinal transverse axis ratio of axillary lymph nodes and maximum cortical thickness of axillary lymph nodes were recorded.ResultsOut of 108 patients with breast cancer,the longitudinal transverse axis ratio of tumor were greater than 1 in 75 (69.4 ％ ),micro-calcification in 57(52.8 ％ ),classification of blood supply were Ⅱ - Ⅲ in 57 (52.8％ ),CPD were greater than or equal to 10％ in 48 (44.4％),maximum cortical thickness of axillary lymph node were greater than or equal to 3 mm in 51 (47.2％),and longitudinal transverse axis ratio of lymph nodes were less than 1.5 in 59 (54.6％).Univariate analysis revealed that these six parameters were correlated to the axillary lymph node metastasis in breast cancer ( P ＜0.05).However,ages of patients,location of tumor in the breast,numbers of tumors,maximum diameters of tumors,mass boundary,ultrasonic patterns,peak systolic velocity and resistance index were not related to the axillary lymph node metastasis( P ＞0.05).Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that CPD (OR:16.337,95％ CI:4.537- 58.826),longitudinal transverse axis ratio of lymph nodes (OR:3.754,95％ CI:1.269- 11.108) and microcalcificationand (OR:3.033,95 ％ CI:1.040 - 8.840) were risk factors of axillary lymph nodes metastasis in patients with breast cancer.ConclusionsThe application of ultrasonography in patients with breast cancer is useful in predicting axillary lymph nodes metastasis.

Objective To investigate the effect of phosphoinositide-3-kinase inhibitor LY294002 on the differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (HESC) into more mature insulin-producing cells. Methods HESCs were induced to differentiate into insulin-producing cells through five stages. Nicotinamide and B27 (group B27), nicotinamide and LY294002 (group LY) were used to induce the nesting positive cells into mature insulin-producing cells. The morphological change of each stage was observed under microscope , and expressions of insulin, c-peptide, somatostatin and glucagon were identified by immunofluorescence staining. Results After 14 days in stage 5 , there was no significant difference in rate of insulin positive cells between group LY and group B27 (P﹥0.05), but rates of somatostatin and glucagon positive cells in group LY were lower than those in group B27(P﹤0.05). Furthermore, the co-stained rate of somatostatin and insulin in group LY was also lower than that in group B27 (P﹤0.05). Conclusion HESCs can be induced to differentiate into more mature insulin-producing cells by phosphoinositide-3-kinase inhibitor LY294002 in serum-free culture medium.

OBJECTIVEFabry disease is a rare lysosome storage disease featuring X-linked recessive inheritance. The study was to explore potential mutations of alpha-galactosidase A (GLA) gene and their correlation with clinic manifestations in three Chinese pedigrees with Fabry disease.

METHODSAll exons and flanking sequences of GLA gene were amplified with PCR. Potential mutations were detected with bidirectional DNA sequencing. Correlation between particular mutations and clinic features were analyzed.

RESULTSA unreported missense mutation, c.797A>C (D266A) in GLA exon 5 was identified in pedigree 1. Also in exon 5, a missense mutation c.644A>G (N215S) was found in pedigree 2. In pedigree 3, a nonsense mutation c.355C>T (Q119X) was found in exon 2. The c.797A>C mutation was not detected in 200 unrelated male controls. The probands of pedigrees 1 and 3 had presented mainly with skin damage and chronic renal insufficiency, whilst the proband of pedigree 2 had presented with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

CONCLUSIONThe unreported c.797A>C (D266A) mutation is the sixth missense type mutation of the 266th codon of GLA gene, and all other 5 missense mutations reported previously had been confirmed to be responsible for Fabry disease. The c.797A>C mutation, not found in 200 unrelated male controls, may be the causative mutation in pedigree 1. The c.644A>G and c.355C>T mutations were first detected in Chinese patients. Variable phenotypes of Fabry disease may be in part attributed to the natures of particular mutations of GLA gene.

Adult ; Fabry Disease ; genetics ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mutation ; Pedigree ; alpha-Galactosidase ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects and mechanisms of panaxoside Rg1 on the new vessel formation in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) rats.

METHODSThe AMI model of male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats was established, and rats were randomly divided into the AMI model group, the treatment group of panaxoside Rg1, the placebo group and the treatment group of panaxoside Rg1 plus rapamycin. Cardiac creatases were determined with 1 mL blood drawn from vena caudalis of the rats 48 h after the model was successfully made. After 4 weeks, Evans blue was injected into the aorta roots of the rats, and then, red tetrazoline was dyed again and the myocardial infarction area was evaluated. The microvessel density (MVD) of infarction area was determined by the immunohistochemistry of CD31; enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the protein content of CD31 and hypoxia inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) of the infarction area.

RESULTSThe MVD in the infarction area and the contents of CD31 and HIF-1alpha in the Rg1 treatment group were higher than those in the AMI model group significantly (P<0.05). The cardiac creatase and infarction area were lower in the Rg1 treatment group than those in the AMI model group significantly (P<0.05). The above effects, however, disappeared when rapamycin, the antagonist of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), was administered simultaneously.

CONCLUSIONSPanaxoside Rg1 could increase the expression of HIF-1alpha and CD31 of myocardium and stimulate the angiogenesis. The above mentioned role of panaxoside Rg1 might be related to the excitation of mTOR receptor.

Animals ; Cell Count ; Collateral Circulation ; drug effects ; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical ; Ginsenosides ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit ; metabolism ; Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; metabolism ; physiology ; Male ; Microvessels ; pathology ; Myocardial Infarction ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; pathology ; Neovascularization, Physiologic ; drug effects ; Placebos ; Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 ; metabolism ; Protein-Serine-Threonine Kinases ; metabolism ; physiology ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Signal Transduction ; drug effects ; Sirolimus ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases

In this study, two school-aged children had an acute onset in spring and had the manifestations of fever, headache, vomiting, disturbance of consciousness, purpura and ecchymosis, and positive meningeal irritation sign. There were increases in peripheral white blood cells and neutrophils, but reductions in the hemoglobin level and platelet count in the two children. They had a significant increase in C-reactive protein. There were hundreds or thousands of white blood cells in the cerebrospinal fluid, mainly neutrophils. Increased protein contents but normal levels of glucose and chloride in the cerebrospinal fluid were found. Head CT scan showed multiple hematomas in the right cerebellum and both hemispheres in one child. Bone marrow cytology indicated infection in the bone marrow, and both blood culture and bone marrow culture showed methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Both patients had cardiac murmurs and progressive reductions in the hemoglobin level and platelet count during treatment, and echocardiography showed the formation of vegetation in the aortic valve. Therefore, the patients were diagnosed with infectious endocarditis (IE). Vancomycin was used as the anti-infective therapy based on the results of drug sensitivity test. One child was cured after 6 weeks, and the other child was withdrawn from the treatment and then died. Dynamic monitoring of cardiac murmurs should be performed for children with unexplained fever, and echocardiography should be performed in time to exclude IE. IE should also be considered for children with purulent meningitis and skin and mucosal bleeding which cannot be explained by the reduction in platelet count.
Adolescent ; Child, Preschool ; Endocarditis, Bacterial ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Female ; Fever ; etiology ; Headache ; etiology ; Humans ; Male ; Purpura ; etiology

OBJECTIVETo explore the expression and clinical significance of ID1 gene in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients.

METHODReal-time quantitative PCR (RQ-PCR) was used to test the expression level of ID1 gene in 114 de novo adult AML patients, and the clinical features of these patients were analyzed.

RESULTSID1 gene transcript levels were detectable in BM mononuclear cells from 114 patients with AML, the median expression level of all samples was 8525 (range: 57 - 11 233 238). There was a statistically significant difference on expression level of ID1 gene among the three different cytogenetic prognosis groups, and the poor prognosis group (median: 36 840, range: 336 - 11 233 238) harbored the significantly higher level of ID1 gene than the intermediate prognosis group (Median: 6630, range: 66 - 1 840 798) (P = 0.006). The expression level of ID1 gene was positively associated with older age (age ≥ 60 years vs < 60 years, P = 0.002) and higher WBC count (WBC ≥ 10×10(9)/L vs < 10×10(9)/L, P = 0.005). Young patients (age < 60 years) who were not obtained the complete remission (non-CR) after the first cycle of chemotherapy harbored the high level of ID1 gene (Median: 9537 of non-CR vs 1268 of CR, P = 0.010).

CONCLUSIONSHigh expression level of ID1 gene was mostly seen in AML patients with adverse cytogenetics and older age (age ≥ 60 years), and may be associated with poor prognosis of AML. ID1 gene might be a prognostic molecular marker of AML.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Inhibitor of Differentiation Protein 1 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; diagnosis ; genetics ; metabolism ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Young Adult

Child, Preschool ; Electroencephalography ; Epilepsy, Rolandic ; physiopathology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Syndrome

Two plasmid constructs, pcE2 and pcE3, containing 3' fragment of open reading frame 2 (ORF2,1163 bp) of hepatitis E virus (HEV) and full-length ORF3 (369 bp), were injected into bilateral tibialis of Swiss mice respectively，for three times (0, 2nd and 4th weeks) and observed the HEV IgG by ELISA. HEV IgG was induced after the injection of pcE2 or pcE3 or both, and the percentage of seraconversion was 100% after two weeks of the third injection. Compared with injection of either construct, the antibody titers were higher in the group with combined injection of two constructs.

The aim of study was to set up a suitable method of isolation, culture and identification of endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) derived from rabbit bone marrow. Density gradient centrifugation was used to isolate mononuclear cells from bone marrow, the isolated mononuclear cells were cultured with specific culture medium for EPCs. EPCs were identified by cellular morphologic observation, immunohistochemistry testing, flow cytometry and the function test of taking up Dil-ac-LDL and FITC-UEA-1. The results indicated that the newly isolated bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells exhibited a round appearance, following culture for 48 hours, adherent cells grew in colony cluster, presenting with round or irregular appearance, and nuclear division was obvious. On day 7, flaky cell colonies mutually connected together, presenting with spindle-shaped cells. Immunohistochemistry testing in the EPCs showed CD133(+), CD34(+), VIII factor(++), KDR(++); flow cytometry testing showed that the positive rate of CD133 was (18.23+/-7.12)%, the positive rate of CD34 was 47.71+/-14.85%, the positive rate of CD31 was (71.61+/-13.51)%, the positive rate of KDR was (87.24+/-11.40)%. And more than 80% EPC could take up both Dil-acLDL and FITC-UEA-1. It is concluded that the mononuclear cells isolated from bone marrow by density gradient centrifugation can differentiate into EPCs under special culture situation.
Animals ; Bone Marrow Cells ; cytology ; Cell Culture Techniques ; methods ; Cell Differentiation ; Cells, Cultured ; Endothelial Cells ; cytology ; Rabbits ; Stem Cells ; cytology