Objective To investigate whether maternal antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs)in infants may interfere with the antibody response to hepatitis B vaccine. Methods Infants from singleton pregnant mothers,who delivered at full term at the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School from October 2006 to January 2007,were divided into two groups based on their mothers'status of anti-HBs(43 positive and 29 negative).All infants were vaccinated with hepatitis B vaccine at birth and one month thereafter.Serum anti-HBs were quantitatively determined for the mothers before delivery and for infants in cord blood at delivery and in serum at the age of 1 and 3.5 months. Results Anti-HBs of all 43 newborns in the positive group were positive in cord blood with the coefficiency of 0.98 to the maternal serum anti-HBs level(t=39.05,P<0.01).Forty-two out of the 43 infants remained anti-HBs positive at the age of 1 month.Anti-HBs was negative both at birth and 1 month old in infants of the negative group.However,all infants in both groups were anti-HBs positive at 3.5 months of age,while the average concentration of anti-HBs in infants of the negative group was significantly higher than that of the positive group [(466.9±86.7)mIU/ml vs(151.2±23.1)mIU/ml,t=2.72,P=0.011].Among the 5 infants whose maternal anti-HBs level>1000 mIU/ml,3 did not produce active antibodies against two doses of hepatitis B vaccination. Conclusions Passively acquired maternal anti-HBs in infants can inhibit the active antibody response to hepatitis B vaccine,and the extent of this effect is associated with maternal anti-HBs level.

Objective To evaluate the application of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) in the reducing treatment of bronchial asthma.Methods From October 2015 to September 2016,60 asthmatic patients with FeNO＞25 ppb were randomized into FeNO group and control group with 30 cases in each group.Patients in both groups were treated with combined inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting beta 2 agonist (ICS/LABA) starting with low doses;the dosage was adjusted according to the symptom control alone in control group,while in FeNO group the dosage was adjusted according to the symptom control and FeNO level.After 1 year-follow up,the Asthma Control Test (ACT) scores,Asthma Life Questionnaire (mini AQLQ)scores,pulmonary function,FeNO levels,blood eosinophil counts,total IgE,hierarchical control level,cumulative corticosteroid use and cumulative months of leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRA) use were compared before and after treatment within group,and between two groups.Stratified analysis was carried out in the patients complicated with allergic rhinitis.Results After treatment,ACT scores,mini AQLQ scores and FEV1/pred (％) were significantly higher than those before treatmentin both groups (t=10.755,10.189,8.632 and 13.311,8.102,12.456,respectively,all P＜0.05),while the FeNO,EOS and total IgE levels were significantly lower than those before treatment (t=8.005,3.313,3.924 and 8.967,3.885,3.270,respectively,all P＜0.05),and the numbers of patients with good control were significantly increased (Z=-5.035 and-4.976 respectively,P＜0.05).Compared with control group,FeNO level was lower,mini AQLQ scores of symptom scores and emotional scores were higher and the average numbers of asthma attacks per patient per year were less after treatment in FeNO group (t=2.912,4.214,4.589,U=2.154,all P＜0.05).However,there was no significant difference in cumulative corticosteroid use and cumulative months of LTRA use between two groups (U=564.000 t=1.921 and 0.165,respectively,P＞0.05).For patients complicated with allergic rhinitis,the numbers of acute asthma attack were increased and the cumulative dosage of systemic corticosteroid use was higher in control group than those in FeNO group (both P＜0.05).Conclusion The reducing treatment strategy based on FeNO level and symptom control is of clinical value for patients with bronchial asthma,especially for those complicated with allergic rhinitis.

Recombinant HLA-Ⅰ molecules/antigenic peptide complexes (pHLA complexes) are applied in the research of human T cell-specific immune responses. The preparation of pHLA complex is based on genetic engineering and protein in vitro dilution and folding-refolding technology. In an in vitro refolding system, recombinant HLA-Ⅰ molecules correctly fold and bind with antigenic peptides to form complexes. In this study, ultrafiltration-high performance liquid chromatography (ultrafiltration-HPLC) was used for quantitative determination of the antigenic peptides in recombinant pHLA complexes, especially for those in a small amount of prepared products. By adding the recombinant HLA-Ⅰ molecules and antigenic peptides into the refolding buffer, the heavy chain (HC) and light chain (β2m) of recombinant HLA-Ⅰ molecules were refolded and bond with the VYF antigenic peptide containing anchor residues to form a pHLA complex. The unbound free antigenic peptide VYF was removed by ultrafiltration to retain the complex. Finally, the pHLA complex was treated by acid to destroy its interaction, thus releasing the antigenic peptide. The results showed that the prepared recombinant pHLA complex was recognized by HLA-Ⅰ molecule specific antibody W6/32, which indicated that the recombinant HLA-Ⅰ class molecule had correct folding and was identified as pHLA complex. The antigen peptide VYF contained in the pHLA complex was also detected by ultrafiltration-HPLC, so it is feasible to apply ultrafiltration-HPLC for determination of pHLA complex. Compared with Western blotting, the concentration of antigenic peptides detected by ultrafiltration-HPLC was 0-9 μg/mL. The binding conditions can be optimized according to the amount of antigenic peptides bound in the complex in order to improve the folding efficiency of HLA-Ⅰ molecules and promote the binding of HLA-Ⅰ molecules to antigenic peptides. The production rate of pHLA complexes in the refolding system can also be calculated according to the content of antigenic peptides bound by pHLA complexes. Therefore, ultrafiltration-HPLC in this study can be used for the quality control of the preparation process of pHLA complexes, and may facilitate the research of T cell-specific immunity, artificial antigen-presenting cells, and development of specific tetramer probe applications.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Antigens ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Humans ; Peptides/chemistry* ; Ultrafiltration

ObjectiveBy using bibliometrics and scientific knowledge mapping technology， this study systematically combs and visually analyzes the research hotspots， frontiers and trends of infectious disease prevention and control in China in the past 30 years， summarizes the research direction in this field， combs the knowledge structure， and provides guidance and reference for subsequent research. MethodsThe databases of CNKI and Wanfang were searched by （"infectious diseases" or " communicable diseases"） and "prevention and control" not "chronic diseases"， The bibliometric software VOSviewer 1.68 and CiteSpace 5.8.3 were used to analyze the co-occurrence network of scientific knowledge maps from the keywords， emerging words， research authors， institutions and other aspects， and summarized the research hotspots， frontiers and trends in the field of infectious disease prevention and control in China. ResultsA total of 10 777 literatures were retrieved， and 7 676 literatures were included after screening. From the perspective of research trend， the number of published literatures in the field of infectious disease prevention and control in China showed an overall upward trend， and the number of studies was closely related to the outbreak of infectious diseases. The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention has played a leading role in the research. In terms of researchers' cooperation， Hao Mo， Li Chengyue， Wang Ying and others from Fudan University were the main researchers' cooperation teams. Tu Wenxiao， Meng Ling and Xiang Nijuan from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention were the main researchers. Wang Quanyi， Li Xinyu， Wang Xiaoli from the Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention were the main researchers' research teams. Yang Zhicong， Li Meixia， Luo Lei and other research teams from Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention have formed a relatively obvious cooperation network. Analysis of the keyword cluster atlas showed that the articles related to the prevention and control of infectious diseases mainly were focused on the epidemiology of new coronavirus infection （new infectious diseases）， school infectious diseases， common infectious diseases， and the related research of vector infectious diseases. The analysis of salient words indicated the research focus and trend change in different time periods. At present， the research focus and frontier in the field of infectious diseases are mainly concentrated in the field of prevention and control of new infectious diseases， such as the monitoring， early warning， reporting， emergency management， laws and regulations of the new coronavirus infection. ConclusionOur country attaches great importance to the prevention and control of infectious diseases， with extensive and in-depth research hotspots. In particular， research on emerging infectious diseases has developed rapidly and achieved remarkable results. With the application of molecular biology， big data， AI and other technologies in the field of infectious disease prevention and control， China's infectious disease prevention and control capabilities will be greatly improved. At the same time， it is necessary to strengthen the linkage between universities， disease control institutions， and medical institutions， and establish and improve a long-term normal prevention and control mechanism.

Objective: To investigate the effects of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (p38 MAPK) inhibitor (SB203580) on airway inflammation in a mouse model of asthma. Methods: Forty-eight female BALB/c mice were randomly divided into four groups (n=12): control group, asthma group, dexamethasone group (2 mg/kg) and SB203580 group (5 mg/kg). Within 24 hours after the last ovalbumin (OVA) challenge, airway responsiveness was measured by lung resistance (RL) and dynamic compliance (Cdyn). Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was collected for counting total cells, eosinophils, lymphocytes, neutrophils and macrophages. IgE and OVA-specific IgE in serum and IL-4, IL-5, IL-13 and IFN-γ in BALF were detected by ELISA. Lung tissues were stained with hematoxylin and eosin (HE) and alcian blue-periodic acid-Schiff (AB-PAS) to observe histopathological changes. Expression of p38 MAPK and phosphorylated p38 (p-p38) MAPK was detected by immunohistochemical staining and Western blot, respectively. Results: (1) The mice in the asthma group showed typical symptoms of acute asthma after inhaling aerosolized OVA, while the symptoms were alleviated in those treated with dexamethasone or SB203580. (2) When challenged with the methacholine at the doses of 0.050 mg/kg, 0.100 mg/kg and 0.200 mg/kg, asthmatic mice treated with dexamethasone or SB203580 showed significantly decreased RL and increased Cdyn as compared with those in the asthma group (all P<0.05). (3) The concentrations of total IgE and OVA-specific IgE in serum in both dexamethasone and SB203580 groups were lower than those in the asthma group (all P<0.05). (4) Compared with the asthma group, the numbers of the total cells, eosinophil, lymphocytes and neutrophils in BALF were decreased in dexamethasone and SB203580 groups (all P<0.05). (5) Compared with the asthma group, the dexamethasone and SB203580 groups showed lower levels of IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13, but higher levels of IFN-γ in BALF (all P<0.05). (6) Dexamethasone or SB203580 significantly decreased the hyperemia and edema in airway mucosa, reduced the infiltration of inflammatory cells in the peribronchial areas and alleviated the tracheal epithelium goblet cell metaplasia in asthmatic mice. (7) Treatment with dexamethasone or SB203580 inhibited OVA-induced phosphorylation of p38 MAPK in asthmatic mice as revealed by immunohistochemical staining (both P<0.05). No significant difference in the expression of p38 MAPK was observed among the four groups (all P>0.05). (8) Expression of p-p38 MAPK at protein level in both dexamethasone and SB203580 groups was lower than that in asthma group (both P<0.05). Conclusion SB203580 regulated the Th1/Th2 balance through inhibiting the activation of p38 MAPK signaling pathway to alleviate OVA-induced airway inflammation.

Organic carbonates (OCs) are a class of compounds featured by a carbonyl flanked by two alkoxy/aryloxy groups. They exist in either linear or cyclic forms, of which the majority encountered in nature adopt a pentacyclic structure. However, the enzymatic basis for pentacyclic carbonate ring formation remains elusive. Here, we reported that a four-protein metabolon (AlmUII-UV) assembled by a small peptide protein (AlmUV) appends a reactive