Objective To construct a reverse genetic platform for influenza B virus and to rescue influenza B virus.Methods Eight plasmids carrying the gene segments of B/Florida/4/2006 virus were constructed by using the bidirectional promoter vector pHW2000.293T cells were co-cultured with MadinDarby canine kidney (MDCK) cells and then transfected with the eight plasmids.The supernatants of cell culture and cell debris were collected after transfection and then injected into embryonated chicken eggs and MDCK cells for rescuing the influenza B virus strains.Results This reverse genetic system could be used for the preparation of reassortant influenza B virus strains.The titers of hemagglutination units of the rescued virus achieved 128-256/50μl.Most of the reassortant virus particles were spherical under electron microscope.Conclusion The pHW2000 reverse genetic system could be used for the rescue of influenza B virus.Moreover,it could also be used for the construction of influenza B virus with specific mutations for further in vestigation on the characteristics of influenza B virus and the construction of vaccine strain.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effects of Qingre Liqi Granule (QLG) on clinical therapeutic efficacy, electrogastrogram (EGG) and gastric emptying in patients with functional dyspepsia (FD).

METHODSThirty-two FD patients of dyskinesis type enrolled were treated with QLG by oral taking for 6 days. Scoring on 8 kinds of symptoms, including abdominal distension, abdominal pain, morning gastric fullness, belching, regurgitation, nausea, vomiting, and anorexia, fasting EGG and the gastric emptying determination were performed using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) before and after treatment.

RESULTSThe total and individual scores of clinical symptoms, expect that of vomiting, significantly decreased after treatment (P < 0.05), and the percentage of patients with tachygastria and bradygastria significantly decreased (P<0.01) at the same time. EGG after treatment showed significantly elevated rates of normal slow wave dominant power, and nearly normalized dominant frequency. An increased gastric emptying rate at different phases after 75 min (P < 0.05), and significantly shortened gastric emptying half-time (P < 0.01) were shown meanwhile in gastric emptying detection. The improvement of symptom score and gastric emptying half-time showed significant positive linear correlation (r =0.8929, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONQLG can improve symptoms of FD patients by regulating the rhythm and power of gastric electro-wave, increasing gastric motility and enhancing gastric emptying function.

Adult ; Aged ; Double-Blind Method ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Dyspepsia ; drug therapy ; Electromyography ; drug effects ; Female ; Gastric Emptying ; drug effects ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myoelectric Complex, Migrating ; drug effects ; Phytotherapy ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

Female ; Humans ; Liver Diseases, Alcoholic ; enzymology ; etiology ; Male ; NADPH Oxidases ; biosynthesis

OBJECTIVETo compare therapeutic effects of low frequency pulse plus auricular point magnetic therapy and prepulsid on functional dyspepsia (FD).

METHODSFifty cases of FD were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group. The treatment group were treated with low frequency pulse stimulation on Zhongwan (CV 12), Weishu (BL 21), Neiguan (PC 6), Zusanli (ST 36), with Fenglong (ST 40) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6) selected according to syndrome differentiation, once a day, 30 min each session. The control group were treated with oral administration of prepulsid. Five days constituted one course. The scores of symptoms and parameters of electrogastrogram (EGG) before and after treatment and the therapeutic effect were investigated.

RESULTSAfter treatment, the symptom scores significantly decreased (P < 0.01), with a significant difference in the decrease of symptom scores between the two groups (P < 0.05); and EGG parameters were improved (P < 0.05). The total effective rate of 93.3% in the treatment group was better than 75.0% in the control group with a significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONLow frequency pulse plus auricular point magnetic therapy can significantly improve the clinical symptoms and gastric activities in the patient of FD, with a better therapeutic effect than prepulsid.

Acupuncture Points ; Adult ; Dyspepsia ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Electroacupuncture ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetics ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Stomach ; physiology

Biomarkers, Tumor ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cell Cycle Proteins ; metabolism ; DNA-Binding Proteins ; metabolism ; Humans ; Liver ; metabolism ; pathology ; Liver Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Minichromosome Maintenance Complex Component 7 ; Nuclear Proteins ; metabolism

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; metabolism ; pathology ; Case-Control Studies ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Liver ; metabolism ; pathology ; Liver Cirrhosis ; metabolism ; pathology ; Liver Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Neoplasm Staging ; Prognosis ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Receptor, Notch1 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Signal Transduction ; physiology ; Up-Regulation

Animals ; Brain Edema ; Brain Ischemia ; Cerebral Infarction ; Cerebrovascular Circulation ; Rats ; Reperfusion ; Reperfusion Injury

OBJECTIVETo assess the relationship between the overexpression of facilitative glucose transporter-1 (Glut1) and fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake in patients with primary lung adenocarcinoma.

METHODSFrom April 1999 to March 2001, 24 patients with lung adenocarcinoma were imaged with FDG positron emission tomography (PET) before surgery. Their maximum and mean standard uptake value (SUVmax and SUVmean) of tumor and SUV of normal lung (SUVlung) were measured. The expression of Glut1 of all 24 cases was studied in paraffin sections by SP immunohistochemistry.

RESULTSAll 23 tumors tested were Glut1 positive. (35 +/- 23)% of tumor cell area was positive and staining intensity was (3.7 +/- 0.9). All tumors of the patients could be detected by FDG-PET. FDG uptake of tumor was higher than that of normal lung (P < 0.01). SUVmax, SUVmean and SUVlung were (5.46 +/- 3.32), (4.05 +/- 2.54) and (0.43 +/- 0.15) respectively. Correlations were found among Glut1 expression and FDG uptake and tumor size (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONGlut1 overexpression is universal in the lung adenocarcinoma and correlate with FDG uptake.

Adenocarcinoma ; diagnostic imaging ; metabolism ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 ; pharmacokinetics ; Glucose Transporter Type 1 ; metabolism ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lung Neoplasms ; diagnostic imaging ; metabolism ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVESTo study the changes of cellular immunity function in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its correlation with disease severity.

METHODST lymphocyte subsets and CD28 co-stimulation molecule in CD8+ T cells in 22 HCC patients were detected using three-color flow cytometry. Serum interleukin-2 (IL-2), transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFbeta1), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were determined by ELISA and radioimmunoassay. A group of 30 patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), liver cirrhosis (LC), or normal adults (NC) served as controls.

RESULTSCompared with NC, the number of CD8+CD28- T cells increased and CD8+CD28+ T cells decreased in patients with HCC. The number of CD4+ T cells, CD4+/CD8+ ratios, IL-2 level all decreased and CD8+ T cells, IL-6, TGFbeta1 levels all increased in patients with HCC, LC and CHB. The CD4+ T cells, CD4+/CD8+ ratios and IL-2 level in patients with HCC were lower than those with CHB. Serum IL-6 and TGFbeta1 in patients with HCC were higher than those with LC and CHB. The levels of IL-6 and TGFbeta1 correlated with the stages of the tumors.

CONCLUSIONSHCC patients have a cellular immunity dysfunction. Rectifying the imbalanced function could be a potential way for treating HCC. Measurement of these factors would be useful for early diagnosis and evaluating the prognoses of these patients.

Adult ; CD28 Antigens ; immunology ; CD4-CD8 Ratio ; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes ; immunology ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; immunology ; Female ; Humans ; Immunity, Cellular ; immunology ; Liver Neoplasms ; immunology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; T-Lymphocyte Subsets ; immunology

Glutamate (Glu) is the major afferent excitatory neurotransmitter in the auditory system, and excessive Glu may play an important role in cochlear dysfunction. It is unclear how excessive Glu plays roles in cochlear dysfunction in cochlear organotypic cultures. In this study neonatal rat cochlear organotypic cultures were prepared, and then the cochlear tissues were incubated with a new medium containing specific concentrations of Glu (0.1, 0.5, 1, 10 or 20 mmol/L) for 24 h, or incubated with the medium containing a concentration of 20 mmol/L Glu for 6, 12, 24 or 72 h, respectively. It was found that when the cochlear tissues were cultured for 24 h, the inner hair cells (IHCs) were damaged at the concentration of 0.5 mmol/L Glu, and with the increases of the concentrations, the injury was gradually aggravated, and 20 mmol/L Glu resulted in the significant loss of IHCs. In the 20 mmol/L Glu groups, the stereocilia bundles were missing or disarrayed on a few IHCs after culture for 6 h and the damage effect was time-dependent. The missing of IHCs was more significant in the basal turn of the cochlea than in the middle turn of the cochlea under the same concentration of Glu exposure. These results suggest that excessive exogenous Glu affects the morphology of IHCs, but not affects the outer hair cells (OHCs) in cochlear organotypic cultures, and the excitotoxic effects are different on IHCs of different parts of the cochlea under the same concentration of Glu exposure.
Animals ; Cochlea ; drug effects ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Glutamic Acid ; toxicity ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley