OBJECTIVETo investigate the impact of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) on sperm DNA fragmentation and nucleoprotein transition.

METHODSBased on the recommended methods in the WHO Laboratory Manual for the Examination and Processing of Human Semen (5th ed), we conducted routine semen analysis for 65 CP/CPPS patients and 30 healthy men. We also analyzed the results of papanicolaou staining, sperm DNA fragmentation and sperm nucleoprotein transition.

RESULTSCompared with the healthy control males, the CP/CPPS patients showed significant decreases in sperm concentration ([134.05 +/- 99.80] vs [94.75 +/- 92.07]) x 10(6)/ml, P <0.05), the percentage of morphologically normal sperm ([7.26 +/- 2.28] vs [5.61 +/- 3.40]%, P <0.05) and sperm progressive motility ([59.18 +/- 16.06] vs [47.68 +/- 17.62]%, P<0.05), but dramatic increases in sperm DNA fragmentation ([22.92 +/- 11.51] vs [43.58 +/- 17.07%, P<0.01) and sperm nucleoprotein transition ([23.26 +/- 5.97] vs [32.14 +/- 8.79]%, P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONCP/CPPS significantly reduces sperm quality and male fertility.

Adult ; Case-Control Studies ; DNA Fragmentation ; Humans ; Male ; Nucleoproteins ; genetics ; Prostatitis ; genetics ; Semen Analysis ; Sperm Count ; Sperm Motility ; Young Adult

In order to investigate swine influenza virus (SIV) infection in South Korea, 180 nasal swabs from pigs with respiratory symptoms of 18 different farms were collected between November 2001 and February 2002. Of the 180 swabs, 52 were positive for SIV by a multiplex reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay. Positive samples were then subtyped by two multiplex RT-PCR assays, and 43 and 9 samples were found to be H1N2 and H3N2, respectively. SIV was isolated from the positive samples using embryonated chicken eggs. Two H1N2 isolates designated as A/Sw/ Korea/CY01/02 and A/Sw/Korea/CY02/02 were genetically characterized. Comparison of the nucleotide sequences between the two isolates showed 99.6% to 99.9% nucleotide identity of each gene segment. Pairwise sequence analysis of the hemagglutinin (HA)1 gene segments indicated that HA genes of the Korean isolates were more closely related to those of the US H1N2 isolates (94.5% to 97.9% amino acid identity) than those of the Japanese H1N2 isolates (82.4% to 93.7% amino acid identity). Amino acid sequences of the Korean isolate (A/Sw/Korea/CY02/02) showed high homology with the US H1N2 isolates; neuraminidase (NA) (97.4~99.2%), matrix (98.8~99.9%), nucleoprotein (97.6~ 98.0%), non-structural (96.8~98.6%), PA (97.9~98.7%), PB1 (98.3~99.6%) and PB2 (97.8~98.9%) genes.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Base Sequence ; Chickens ; Eggs ; Hemagglutinins ; Humans ; Influenza A virus* ; Influenza, Human* ; Korea* ; Neuraminidase ; Nucleoproteins ; Orthomyxoviridae ; Ovum ; Sequence Analysis ; Swine*

OBJECTIVETo study the genetic characterization of wild-type measles viruses isolated in Xinjiang in 2003 and 2004.

METHODSPeripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 19 suspected measles cases collected between June 2003 and April 2004 were used to isolate measles virus by cocultivation with phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-stimulated cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMC). For positive samples, 676 nucleotides of the C-terminus of the nucleoprotein (N) gene of the measles virus genome were amplified by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and then sequenced. These sequences were compared with those of other measles reference strains available in GenBank or measles isolates elsewhere in China using BLAST searches and phylogenetic analyses.

RESULTS6 measles virus strains were isolated with 3 strains (XJ03-26, XJ03-27, XJ03-74) from 2003 and 3 (XJ04-146, XJ04-150, XJ04-152) from 2004. The strain XJ03-26, differed from the Chinese measles vaccine strain S-191 (genotype A) by less than 1% at nucleotide level, and therefore appeared a vaccine-associated strain. The other 5 strains as XJ03-27, XJ03-74, XJ04-146, XJ04-150 and XJ04-152 were proved to be genotype H1 strains,among which XJ03-27, XJ03-74, XJ04-150 and XJ04-152, showing their nucleotide diversity were varied from 0.5% to 1.6%, when compared to the H1a reference strain China9322, and identified as H1a strains. XJ04-146 showed a nucleotide similarity of 98.7% when compared to H1b reference strain China9475, and was identified as H1b strain. Additionally, we found that there were two sets of strain (XJ03-27 and XJ04-150; XJ03-74 and XJ04-152), with almost identical nucleotide sequences, circulating in 2003 and 2004 and both having more nucleotide variability (up to 6.1%, 27 nucleotides).

CONCLUSIONGenotype H1 measles virus had been proven to have been circulated in Xinjiang, China during 2003 and 2004. H1a was the predominant epidemic strain while H1b strain stood the next.

China ; epidemiology ; Disease Outbreaks ; Genotype ; Humans ; Measles ; epidemiology ; Measles virus ; classification ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Nucleoproteins ; genetics ; Phylogeny ; RNA, Viral ; genetics ; Sequence Analysis, RNA ; Viral Proteins ; genetics

To analyze 25 nucleoprotein gene (N gene) sequences of rabies viruses circulating in Guizhou province during 2005-2010, China, and to explore the epidemic characteristics and the probable mutant of rabies in Guizhou Province. Rabies virus RNA in human brain tissues, human saliva, and domestic dog brain tissues derived from different prefectures of Guizhou Province were detected with RT-nested PCR, and the amplified products were then sequenced. Bioinformatics software was used to determine the genetic characteristics of these rabies viruses. The sequences of N gene of 25 Guizhou provincial isolates were identical with homogeny between 97.5% - 99.3% and 98.4% - 99.8% at nucleotide and deduced amino acid level, respectively, while the identities between them and isolated strains from other province of China were 88% - 99.1% and 88% - 99.7%. There were several amino acid substitutions in the nucleoprotein of 25 Guizhou isolates compared with the known genotype 1 isolates. The analysis of phylogenetic tree of 25 Guizhou isolates was demonstrated to be genetically divided into two groups, indicating that the virus presented a unique characteristics in geographic distribution and in a time dependent-manner. And phylogenetic tree of 25 Guizhou isolates and 7 genotype 1 strains isolated from other Province of China was also divided into two groups, which were further composed of several subgroups, respectively. From these observations, the rabies viruses derived from Guizhou province were still genotype 1. These isolates of rabies virus were diverged from the strains isolated from other provinces in both gene sequences and deduced amino acid sequences, and these divergences were characterized in geographic distribution and in a time-dependent manner.
Animals ; China ; epidemiology ; Dog Diseases ; epidemiology ; virology ; Dogs ; Genotype ; Humans ; Nucleoproteins ; genetics ; Phylogeny ; RNA, Viral ; genetics ; Rabies ; epidemiology ; veterinary ; virology ; Rabies virus ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; methods

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) diagnosis from suspected samples from sheep and goats was carried out. Buffy coat, tissues, and oculo-nasal swabs were analyzed using nucleoprotein (NP3/NP4) and fusion protein (F1/F2) gene primers, respectively. Analysis of the sample types and primer set revealed that buffy coat are the best type of samples for PPR diagnosis and the use of two set of primers will increase the number of positives.
Animals ; DNA Primers/analysis ; Eye/virology ; Goat Diseases/blood/*diagnosis/epidemiology/virology ; Goats ; Hair/virology ; Nose/virology ; Nucleoproteins/analysis ; Peste-des-Petits-Ruminants/blood/*diagnosis/epidemiology/virology ; Peste-des-petits-ruminants virus/genetics/*isolation & purification ; Pigmentation ; RNA, Viral/genetics/*isolation & purification ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction/*methods/standards/veterinary ; Sheep ; Sheep Diseases/blood/*diagnosis/epidemiology/virology ; Uganda/epidemiology

The nucleoprotein (N) and glycoprotein (G) of 11 Korean rabies virus (RABV) isolates collected from animals diagnosed with rabies between 2008 and 2009 were subjected to molecular and phylogenetic analyses. Six isolates originated from domestic animals (cattle and dogs) and five were obtained from wild free-ranging raccoon dogs. The similarities in the nucleotide sequences of the N gene among all Korean isolates ranged from 98.1 to 99.8%, while those of the G gene ranged from 97.9 to 99.3%. Based on the nucleotide analysis of the N and G genes, the Korean RABV isolates were confirmed as genotype I of Lyssavirus and classified into four distinct subgroups with high similarity. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the Korean isolates were most closely related to the non-Korean NeiMeng1025B and 857r strains, which were isolated from rabid raccoon dogs in Eastern China and Russia, respectively. These findings suggest that the Korean RABV isolates originated from a rabid raccoon dog in Northeastern Asia. Genetic analysis of the Korean RABV isolates revealed no substitutions at several antigenic sites, indicating that the isolates circulating in Korea may be pathogenic in several hosts.
Animals ; Base Sequence ; Cattle ; Cattle Diseases/epidemiology/virology ; China ; Dog Diseases/epidemiology/virology ; Dogs ; Glycoproteins/genetics ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Nucleoproteins/genetics ; Phylogeny ; Rabies/*veterinary ; Rabies virus/classification/*genetics/pathogenicity ; Raccoon Dogs/*virology ; Republic of Korea ; Russia ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid