Insect viruses are attractive as biological control agents and could be a feasible alternative to chemical insecticides in the management of insect infestations. This review describes recent advances in the development of wild-type and genetically modified viruses as insecticides. A new strategy of application of insect viruses in China is reviewed. Also, the assessment of biosafety of genetically modified Helicoverpa armigera Nucleopolyhedovirus (HearNPV) is emphasized as a case-study.

Objective：To explore influence of viable myocardium in myocardial infract region on left ventricular remodeling and left cardiac function in diabetic patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Method: A total of 208 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) complicated AMI after PCI underwent myocardial metabolic imaging by 18F- deoxyglucose position emission tomography (18F-FDG PET) and myocardial perfusion imaging by 99mTc-methoxy isobutyl isonitrile single photon emission computed tomography (99mTc-MIBI SPECT). According to whether there was viable myocardium in myocardial infarct region, patients were divided into viable myocardium group (n=115，perfusion didn’t match metabolism) and no viable myocardium group (n=93, perfusion matched metabolism). Indexes of echocardiography were measured in two groups before and after PCI. Influence of viable myocardium in myocardial infarct region on left ventricular remodeling and cardiac function was observed. Result: After myocardial infarction 12 months, compared with no viable myocardium group, there was significant increase in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) [(44.1±7.12)% vs. (46.7±6.98)%] and significant decrease in left ventricular end-diastolic dimension (LVEDd) [ (55.46±4.75) mm vs. (53.17±4.77) mm], left atrial diameter [ (39.25±11.31) mm vs. (35.89±12.08) mm] in viable myocardium group, P＜0.05 all. There were no significant difference in ratio of mitral diastolic peak flow velocity (E/A) in two groups after 12 months (P＞0.05). Conclusion: In patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus complicated acute myocardial infarction, compared with no viable myocardium patients, LVEF significantly improves, LVEDd significantly decreases in patients with viable myocardium within myocardial infract region.

Objective To explore the diagnostic value of neuron-specific enolase(NSE) in cerebrospinal fluid(CSF) in children with meningitis.Methods NSE levels in CSF of 18 children with purulent meningitis,13 children with tuberculous meningitis and 25 children with viral meningitis were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).Results CSF-NSE levels increased significantly in children with purulent meningitis and tuberculous meningitis compared with that of control group(P0.05);CSF-NSE levels increased significantly in children with purulent meningitis and tuberculous meningitis,compared with that of viral meningitis group(P0.05).Conclusions The determination of the neuron-specific enolase in cerebrospinal fluid can be used as an important parameter for identifying bacterial meningitis from viral meningitis.It also can be used to estimate the severity and prognosis of meningitis in children.

ObjectiveTo establish a novel rapid detection method based on PCR-single-strand-conformational polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) to determine mutation of streptomycin-resistance associated rpsL and rrs genes in isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB).MethodsStreptomycin-resistance of 112 MTB isolates was detected using the routine drug susceptibility test,and a special PCR-SSCP assay was established.The mutations of rpsL and rrs genes in streptomycin-resistant MTB isolates were detected by PCR-SSCP and PCR direct sequencing (PCR-DS) ; the results from two techniques were compared.Results All isolates had both rpsL and rrs genes.Fifty-two isolates (46.4％) were streptomycin susceptible,in which only 1 isolate showed abnormal PCR-SSCP fragments from rrs gene,and the specificity of PCR-SSCP was 98.1％ (51/52).Sixty isolates (53.6％) were streptomycin-resistant,in which 46 (76.6％) and 11 ( 18.3％ ) isolates presented the abnormal PCR-SSCP fragments of rpsL and rrs gene,respectively.One streptomycin-resistant isolate showed abnormal PCR-SSCP fragments from both rpsL and rrs genes.The sensitivity of PCR-SSCP was 93.3％ (56/60).ConclusionThe PCR-SSCP that established in this study is a specific and sensitive method for rapid detection of the streptomycin-resistance associated mutations in rpsL and rrs genes of MTB.

Objective To investigate the relationship between the calcium ion and the effects of ECA on the contraction of the smooth muscles of Oncomelania foot, and explore the mechanism of ECA in decreasing the snail climbing adhesion and increasing snail-killing. Method The in vitro experiment was used to observe the effects of ECA on contraction activities of foot smooth muscles of Oncomelania. Results ECA 5. 0, 10. 0, 20. 0 mg/L. enhanced the resting tension, decreased the contraction range and increased the contraction frequency of the foot smooth muscles of Oncomelania in Ringer's solution with or without Ca2+ , with a characteristic of the dose-dependent, but stronger in solution with Ca2+ than that in solution without Ca2+. Conclusions ECA can enhance the resting tension, decrease the contraction range and increase the contraction frequency of the foot smooth muscles of Oncomelania. This suggested that ECA could be related to increasing the intracellular Ca2+ release and influx of the extracellular Ca2+. This could provide an explanation why ECA decreases the rate of Oncomelania climbing adhesion and enhances snail-killing.

Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics and prognosis of patients with different molecular subtypes of breast cancer.Methods A cohort of 716 breast cancer patients which had clear immunohistochemical detection were investiged.Their molecular subtypes were categorized as Luminal A,Luminal B,HER-2 over-expressing and basal-like subtypes,based on detection of ER,PR,HER-2 expression,and the clinical data including characteristics,relapse,prognosis and prognostic factors of the patients with different subtypes of breast cancer were analyzed retrospectively.Results There were no significant differences among different molecular subtypes at the age,menopausal status,production times,clinical stage,and radiation therapy(P ＞0.05).There were significant differences among different molecular subtypes at axillary lymph node starus (x2 =17.208,P =0.001),turner size (x2 =20.528,P =0.000) and operation method (x2 =24.242,P =0.000) and chemotherapy regimens (x2 =10.711,P =0.013).Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that clinical stage (x2 =17.005,P =0.002),axillary lymph node status (x2 =11.267,P =0.000) and molecular typing(x2 =125.634,P =0.000) were independent prognostic factors affecting long-term survisal rate.Conclusion Breast cancer patients in different subtypes have different long-term survival rate.The patients in basal-like subtype have the worst long-term survival rate.Molecular subtypes may provide important information to predict the prognosis of breast cancer.

Objective To explore the effect of DR on the expression of inhibitory neurotransmitter ,γ-aminobutyric acid ( GABA) and brain derived neurotrophic factor ( BDNF) in the primary visual cortex of young cats .Methods Totally 6 cats were wsed in this study . Nissl staining was used for cortical layer identification and cell counting . Immunohistochemical techniques were utilized to label GABA-and BDNF-positive neurons .Sections were observed under an Olympus light microscope and photographed with a digital camera .The cell density and absorbance of immunoreactivity were measured with Image-Pro Express 6.0 softwares .Results Our results showed that the mean density of Nissl-stained neurons in the primary visual cortex ( V1) of the DR group showed no significant difference from that of the control group . However , the mean density of GABA-immunoreactive neurons in each cortical layer of V 1 in DR cats was significantly higher than that in control cats .The mean immunoreactive intensity of GABA-positive neurons , as indicated by the average absorbance , increased significantly in DR cats relative to control ones . Accompanied with the elevation of GABA expression, DR enhanced BDNF expression in V1, as indicated by an increased mean density of BDNF-positive neurons and BDNF-immunoreactive average absorbance in DR cats relative to controls .Conclusion These results indicate that dietary restriction leads to a concurrent expression upregulation of GABA and BDNF , which may likely compensate for brain functional degradation during senescence and thus delay aging process .

Objective To compare the esophageal acid and alkaline exposure characteristics of patients with cardia carcinoma after proximal gastrectomy or total gastrectomy.Method A total of 77 patients of cardia carcinoma who underwent radical resection from Sep 2007 to Sep 2011 in our hospital were retrospectively reviewed.24 hour esophageal pH monitoring were performed in all patients.Result Patients were divided into three groups:group TG had total gastrectomy (n =25),group PP had proximal gastrectomy with pyloroplasty (n =33),group NP had proximal gastrectomy (n =19).It revealed that indicators of acid reflux including the overall time length of acid episodes,＞ 5 min times of acid episodes,duration of longest acid episodes,time length of pH ＜ 4.00 and the DeMeester Scores in group NP were significantly higher than in group PP(U =32,P ＜ 0.01 ; U =35,P ＜ 0.01 ; U =23,P ＜ 0.01 ; U =39,P ＜0.01 ;U =49,P ＜0.01 respectively).Only alkline reflux was observed in group TG.The total times of alkaline episodes in PP group was significantly lower than in group TG(U =52,P ＜0.01) and group NP (U =182,P ＜0.01).＞5 min times of alkaline episodes in group TG was larger than in group PP,and that in group PP was larger than in group NP(P ＜0.01).Duration of longest alkaline episodes and total period of pH ＞7.00 in group PP was significantly higher than in group TG(U =125,P ＜ 0.01 ; U =143.5,P ＜ 0.01),and that in group TG was higher than in group NP(U =23.5,P ＜ 0.01 ; U =14,P ＜ 0.01).Conclusions Alkaline reflux deserves more attention in evaluating esophageal reflux in patients with cardia carcinoma after resection.Pyloroplasty is not helpful to relieving esophageal acid episodes while causing severe alkaline reflux.

Objective To investigate the relationship between thyroid hormone levels and the attack of arrhythmia after thoracic surgery.Methods Information of 44 patients after thoracic surgery form September 2012 to February 2015 in General Hospital of Tianjin Medical University was collected, and divided in to the arrhythmia group and non-arrhythmia group.A retrospective analysis was carried on their ECG, thyroid hormone levels, and physical health, and the parameters were then compared between the two groups.The correlation of triiodothyronine (T3) level and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE Ⅱ) was analyzed.Results The arrhymia patients' serum T3 and free triiodothyronine (FT3) levels were below normal levels, while the serum T3 and FT3 levels of the non-arrhythmia patients were within normal range, and the differences between the two groups were significant (P＜0.05).No notable change of other thyroid hormones levels and correlation of T3, FT3 and APACHE Ⅱ score were found.Conclusions There is a significant difference between the arrhythmia and non-arrhythmia groups in serum T3 and FT3 levels.Perioperative thyroid hormone replacement therapy is worthy of consideration and trial in the clinical prevention and treatment of arrhythmia and prognostic improvement of patients.

Natural killer ( NK) cells have historically been considered short-lived cytolytic cells that can rapidly respond against microbial pathogens and tumors in an antigen-independent manner.Recently,NK cells have been shown to possess features of a-daptive immunity with immunological memory in a manner similar to that of T and B cells.Three major viewpoints of NK cell memory initially arose from the studies of NK cell memory to recall to mouse cytomegalovirus ( MCMV ) , cytokine and skin-contact hypersensitive chemical antigens.Currently,NK cell memory has been reported in acute infection of mouse HSV ,influenza virus,HCMV and simian immunodeficiency virus ( SIV).Here,we review the latest discoveries and unsolved questions regarding NK cell memory in these models.Studies to reveal the mechanisms for NK cell memory may provide opportunities for the therapeutic use of NK cells in in -fectious diseases and cancer.