Objective To explore the effect of pH on the mutagenic potency of ICR-170 in the reproductive gland of female Schistosoma japonicum.Methods Mice of Kunming strain were infected with S.japonicum cercariae which were previously treated with acridine mutagen ICP-170 at various pH values(pH7.2-8.0) for 30 min or 45 min. Results The pH of the solution had significant effects on the mutagenic potency of ICR-170 in female S.japonicum. When the pH value increased from pH 7.2 to pH 8.0,the percent of mutation of female reproductive organs decreased. The highest mutagenic rate of ICR-170 occurred at pH 7.2,which was 13 times of that at pH 7.8 in the group of 10 ?g/ml 45 min,6 times in the group of 15 ?g/ml 30 min. However,pH value had lower effect on recovery of adult warms compared with mutagenicity. Conclusion The mutagenic potency of ICR-170 is strongly pH-dependent in the reproductive glands of female S.japonicum.

Aim To examine the inhibitory effect of re-combinant cardiac troponin fusion protein composed of subunit I and artificial peptide which was called CIS on tumor growth. Methods The CIS ’ s effect on the growth of human umbilical vein endothelial cells ( HU-VEC) was examined using MTT assay in vitro. Chick chorioallantoic membrane model was applied to study the alteration of angiogenesis treated with purified re-combinant CIS protein. The effect of tumor growth trea-ted with CIS was observed using several in vivo mice xenograft models. Results There was a statistically significant reduction in HUVEC cell proliferative rate when the cells were treated with purified CIS fusion protein, which was also shown in a dose-dependent manner. A decreased amount of new blood vessel for-mation ( angiogenesis) on chick embryo chorioallantoic membranes was observed in recombinant CIS protein treated group compared to the untreated control group. A significant inhibition of tumor growth rate was a-chieved in CIS treated mice compared to CIS untreated control mice in 6 different mouse xenograft models. Conclusions The fusion protein CIS shows the inhibi-tory effect on the tumor growth in our in vivo mouse models, and such inhibition could be mediated by the mechanism of CIS’ s effect on the decrease of HUVEC cell proliferation and further the reduction of angiogen-esis in tumor tissues. This work could provide the foundation for the in-depth investigations on the phar-maceutical application of CIS targeting anti-tumor ther-apy.

Mice of Kunming strain were infected with Schistosoma japonicum cercariae previously incubated with various concentrations of acridine mutagen ICR-170 for different time durations. At 6 weeks after infection, the mice were autopsied. The results showed that 24 out of 28(85. 7%) adult female worms had deformed or lacked ovaries and vitelline glands when the cercariae were treated with the agent at a concentration of 10?g/ml and incubated at 30. 5℃ for 30min. No apparnet changes were observed in the male worms inhabiting the mesenteric and portal veins with the females worms in their gynecophoral canals. The mutagenized female schistosomes obtained from the present experiment might be served as another form of attenuated worms for the induction of protective immunity.

Abstract: Objective To clarify the long-term evolution of hepatitis B virus (HBV) quasi-species in HBsAg asymptomatic carriers in Long'an county, Guangxi. Methods ELISA was used to detect serological markers of HBV. Viral loads were measured by real time PCR. HBV DNA was extracted from serum by kits. The whole HBV genome was amplified using nested PCR and amplicons were sequenced by next-generation sequencing (NGS). These sequences from NGS were analyzed by the software like Mega. Results Serum samples were collected from 9 HBsAg asymptomatic carriers in Longan County，Guangxi at 4 different time points in 2004, 2007, 2013, 2019 or 2020. A total of 23 serum samples and 309 full-length gene quasi-species sequences were obtained, with an average amount of (0.18±0.07) G sequencing data for each sample. Genotype of 55.54%(5/9) the studied subjects underwent genotype conversion during the long-term evolution process of HBV quasi-species, and the genotyping results of the phylogenetic tree in the PreS/S region are in perfect agreement with the results of the whole genome analysis; recombinant B/C, I/C were found; the Sn ranged from 0 to 0.37 and the genetic diversity ranged from 0 to 0.11, respectively. A total of 21 special single nucleotide/amino acid mutations (7 in the S region, 2 in the X region, 3 in the PreC region and 9 in the BCP region) and 6 deletion mutations were detected, multiple mutations were found and no drug resistant mutations were found; 77.8%(7/9) of the HBV strains carried by the subjects in 2004 had double mutations at nt1 762(A→T) and 1 764(G→A) and a stop mutation at nt1 896(G→A); HBV mutations can be restored from the mutant type to the wild type and (or) vice versa without antiviral drug pressure, and The evolution rate of HBV genome was 2.03×10-5~3.50×10-3.Conclusion HBV genotype, recombinants, genetic complexity and diversity of HBV quasi-species can change over time during in natural infection. The transformation between HBV mutation type and wild type reduces the value of predicting clinical outcomes by genetic types and related mutations to some extent. The HBV genome evolution rate of asymptomatic carriers of HBsAg in Long'an County is very high.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the total in situ apoptotic cell number and the apoptotic situation in erythroid cell and megakaryocytes in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS).

METHODSApoptosis cell number and the apoptotic situation of erythroid cell and megakaryocytes were analysed on cold embedded bone marrow sections from 25 MDS patients by DNA in situ end labelling (ISEL)/alkaline phosphatase anti-alkaline phosphatase (APAAP) double stained techniques. Fourteen cases of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) were taken as control.

RESULTSMean apoptotic cell numbers in MDS and control group were (39.44 +/- 29.34)/mm(2) and (13.43 +/- 8.39)/mm(2) respectively (P < 0.01). RA/RAS subtypes had a higher apoptosis ratio (47.56 +/- 32.86/mm(2)) than that in RAEB/RAEB-t subtypes (21.87 +/- 13.65/mm(2)) (P < 0.05). Double staining showed similar apoptosis percentage in erythroid cell and megakaryocytes in MDS patients comparing with that of controls (P > 0.05). Some apoptotic cells showing erythroid or megakaryocytic morphologic characteristics expressed no cluster differentiation antigen.

CONCLUSIONOverapoptosis existed in MDS, RA/RAS group had a higher apoptosis ratio than RAEB/RAEB-t group. No obvious increased apoptosis in erythroid cell and megakaryocytes was observed in MDS perhaps due to the loss of surface antigens in later stages of apoptotic cells.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Alkaline Phosphatase ; immunology ; Apoptosis ; Bone Marrow Cells ; cytology ; metabolism ; Child ; DNA ; genetics ; Female ; Humans ; Immunoenzyme Techniques ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myelodysplastic Syndromes ; genetics ; pathology