NDV strain ZJ1 strain , a highly virulent NDV strain, has been prevalent among the waterfowls in China mainland in the past years. Multi-basic amino acid sequence distribute in the protease cleavage site of F protein of this strain. Recombinant expressing plasmid pCI-FT, was generated by converting multi-basic amino acid sequence of 112, 115, 117 of the protease cleavage site of F_ 0 protein, to the non-basic amino acid sequence characteristic of avirulent NDV strain. The result from co-expression of mutant or parental F protein with homologous HN protein in COS-1 cells revealed that both mutant and parental F protein had fusion activity. The result from co-expression of mutant or parental F protein with homologous HN protein in CEF cells showed that the cleavage activity of mutant F protein was significantly reduced. The study built a foundation for mutagenesis of amino acid sequence of the protease cleavage site of F_ 0 protein at the full-length cDNA clone level, study on factors contributing to virulence and construction of candidate vaccine strain, and so on.

Adolescent ; Bacteria ; isolation & purification ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; microbiology

Objective To observe whether the expression of interferon-regulatory factor genes are re- lated to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).Methods The clinical data of 45 SLE patients and 37 normal controls were collected.Total RNA of peripheral blood was extracted and transcripted into cDNA.Sybr green dye based real-time quantitative PCR method was used to compare the expression (indicated as-??Ct value) of IRFI,IRF4,IRF8 in patients with SLE and those in the controls.Results The levels of IRF1,IRF4 and IRF8 mRNA were-3.90?0.19,-8.04?0.25 and 3.60?0.15 respectively in normal controls.In SLE patients, IRF4 mRNA expression was -8.82?0.18,higher than that in normal (P=0.011).But IRF8 mRNA expression was 3.09?0.13,lower than that in normal (P=0.012).Conclusion Abnormal IRF mRNA expression is found in the peripheral blood of SLE patients.IRFs may play roles in the pathogenesis of SLE by affecting the differen- tiation of Th cells.

Eight fragments were amplified and cloned into pCR2.1 vector with the designed primers.The fragments,amplified with primer Ⅰ to Ⅶ,were subcloned into transcription vector to construct the plasmid pNDVZJI which contained the full-length cDNA of NDV ZJI strain.The eukaryotic expression vector pCI-L was constructed by subcloning the fragments,amplified with the primer Ⅴ,Ⅵ and Ⅷ,into the expression vector pCI-neo.The full-length cDNA clone,pNDVZJI,with three helper plasmids,pCI-NP、pCI-P and pCI-L,were cotranfected into BSR-T7/5 cell expressing T7 RNA polymerase.After inoculation of transfected cell culture into embryonated chicken eggs from specific pathogen free(SPF)flock,The NDV of ZJI strain was rescued successfully,which laid a good foundation for the further related research.

The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of histone demethylase lysine specific demethylase1 (LSD1) in patients with acute leukemia (AL) and its clinical significance. LSD1 protein expression level was detected by semi-quantitative Western blot in HL-60 and SHI-1 leukemia cell line, in bone marrow mononuclear cells of acute AL patients with different condition [new diagnosis, complete remission (CR) and relapse] and in patients with non malignant hematopathy (control). Clinical data of AL patient followed up was collected. The relationship of LSD1 expression level with clinical prognosis was analyzed. The results showed that in HL-60 and SHI-1 leukemia cell line, LSD1 expression was strong positive, relative amount (LSD1/β-actin gray level rate) was 4.647 ± 3.840 and 1.628 ± 0.185 (n = 4) respectively. In 72 AL patients, LSD1 expression levels were quite different. LSD1 positive rate was 56.9% (41/72), average relative amount was 1.053 ± 1.976. In 17 controls, LSD1 positive rate was 0%, relative amount was 0.004 ± 0.012. The LSD1 positive rate in newly diagnosed AML or ALL group (90.4%, 77.8%) and refractory/relapse AML or ALL group (100%, 100%) was higher than that in AML or ALL CR group (4.7%, 0%) (p = 0.000), relative amount of LSD1 showed no statistically difference between newly diagnosed AML and ALL groups (1.177 ± 1.646, 1.275 ± 1.845) or refractory/relapse group (2.050 ± 2.470, 4.107 ± 3.676) and CR group (0.029 ± 0.033, 0.019 ± 0.024) (p > 0.05). In all AL patients, LSD1 positive rate in newly diagnosed (84.6%) and refractory/relapse groups (100%) was higher than that in CR group (3.8%). LSD1 relative amount in newly diagnosed group (1.274 ± 1.760), refractory/relapse group (3.359 ± 3.319) and CR group (0.027 ± 0.031) was higher than that in control group (p < 0.01), and in refractory/relapse group was higher than that in newly diagnosed group and CR group (p < 0.01), in newly diagnosed group was higher than that in CR group (p < 0.01). It is concluded that overexpression of LSD1 is correlated with refractory or relapse in AL. LSD1 expression level can reflect disease status of AL patients and may be a predictive biomarker for unfavourable prognosis of AL.
HL-60 Cells ; Histone Demethylases ; metabolism ; Humans ; Leukemia ; metabolism ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; metabolism ; Recurrence

OBJECTIVETo explore the association between chromosomal disequilibrium and chemoresistance/chemosensitivity in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) using comparative genomic hybridization (CGH).

METHODSGenomic DNA samples were prepared from the tumor tissues in paraffin-embedded sections derived from 88 patients with advanced NSCLC (18 with chemosensitivity and 16 with chemoresistance). The DNAs were first amplified by a degenerate oligonucleotide prime-polymerase chain reaction protocol and then labeled with fluorescence as probes for CGH analyses. The correlations of the resulting chromosomal imbalances with the chemo-sensitivity and other pathological features of the patients were analyzed.

RESULTSA total of 640 abnormal chromosome regions including 96.12% gains and 3.88% losses were detected in 88 specimens. The results indicated that the most frequently gained chromosome regions were 19p13.1-13.3 (39/88, 44.12%), followed by 9q12-q22 (26/88, 29.41%), 22q12-q13 (26/88, 29.41%), and Xq (29/88, 32.35%). The total number of abnormal regions related with chemo-sensitivity was 188( 182 gains and 6 losses), while the number of the abnormal regions linked to the chemoresistance was 452 (431 gains and 21 losses) (P=0.005). Gains of 14p12-p13 and 19p were significantly correlated with the chemosensitivity of the NSCLC (P=0.006). Gains of 1q12-q22, 10q25-q26, 5p15.1-p15.3, 19q13.2-13.4, 20p11.2-p12, 21q22, and Xp 21-p22.1 were also significantly correlated with the chemoresistance (P]0.005, 0.029, 0.039, 0.029, 0.039, 0.016, and 0.006, respectively). No correlation between the chromosome abnormalities and other clinical features was observed.

CONCLUSIONSThe specific gains and losses of chromosome region is correlated with platinum-based first-line chemotherapy in NSCLC patients,as confirmed by CGH detection. This finding is useful for further identifying the chemosensitivity-related functional genes, predicting clinical effectiveness, and achieve individualized treatment in the future.

Adult ; Aged ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; drug therapy ; genetics ; Chromosome Aberrations ; Comparative Genomic Hybridization ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm ; genetics ; Female ; Humans ; Karyotyping ; Lung Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; genetics ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the interaction effects of In-Chen-How (Artemisia capillaries Thunb.) on the pharmacokinetics of acetaminophen and on liver microsomal cytochrome P450 enzyme activity in rats. The rats were divided into control group (n = 8) without In-Chen-How and the pretreated group (n = 8) administered with In-Chen-How (approximately 1.0 mL x kg(-1), according to weight) for 5 consecutive days. Rats in the control group received water simultaneously. Each rat was then given acetaminophen. The pharmacokinetic parameters of acetaminophen of the two groups were significantly different. In the In-Chen-How pretreated group, the maximum concentration of acetaminophen and the area under the plasma concentration-time curve were reduced about 58.4%, 56.7% and 55.4%. To further explain the results, liver microsomal suspensions were obtained from rats that were randomly divided into control and In-Chen-How pretreated group. The levels of CYP1A2 and CYP2E1 in hepatic microsomal protein from pretreated group were increased as compared to that from the control group. It indicated that In-Chen-How can stimulate the activity of CYP isozymes. The changes in the pharmacokinetics of acetaminophen resulting from the administration of In-Chen-How are related to an increase in metabolic activity of CYP1A2 and CYP2E1.
Acetaminophen ; administration & dosage ; blood ; pharmacokinetics ; Administration, Oral ; Analgesics, Non-Narcotic ; administration & dosage ; blood ; pharmacokinetics ; Animals ; Area Under Curve ; Artemisia ; chemistry ; Aryl Hydrocarbon Hydroxylases ; metabolism ; Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A2 ; metabolism ; Cytochrome P-450 CYP2E1 ; metabolism ; Drug Interactions ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Immunoblotting ; Male ; Metabolic Clearance Rate ; drug effects ; Microsomes, Liver ; drug effects ; enzymology ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

Objective: To evaluate the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 ( COVID-19 ) prevention and control measures in Huzhou on influenza epidemic strength and characteristics in 2020, so as to provide reference for formulating influenza prevention measures. Methods: Using the influenza surveillance data of the national influenza sentinel surveillance system from January 2015 to July 2020, the seasonal characteristics of influenza epidemic were analyzed, the proportion of influenza-like illness cases ( ILI% ) and the positive rate of influenza virus in January to July of 2020 were compared with those of the same period in 2015-2019, in order to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 prevention and control measures. Results : The ILI% and the positive rate of influenza virus in Huzhou were 3.90% and 15.32% during 2015-2019, while were 4.41% and 12.63% from January to July of 2020. The trends of ILI% during 2015-2019 fluctuated similar, but continued to drop since January 2020. The positive rate of influenza virus peaked from December to March in 2015-2019, also peaked from December 2019 to January 2020, but decreased to 0 in March. ILI% was positively correlated with the positive rate of influenza virus ( r=0.682, P<0.05). The growth rates of ILI% from January to July 2020 were 4.75%, -11.27%, 0.68%, 19.84% and 0.92%, compared with the same period of 2015-2019, respectively. The growth rates of ILI% in January 2020 were much higher ( >57.00% ) and from April to July were much lower ( <-33.00% ) . The growth rates of influenza virus positive rate from January to July 2020 were -47.96%, -36.53%, -3.44%, -35.92% and -39.37%, compared to the same period of 2015-2019, respectively. The growth rates of influenza virus positive rate in January 2020 were much higher ( >11.00% ) and from February to March were much lower ( <-61.00% ). Conclusion Since COVID-19 prevention and control measures were implemented in January 2020 in Huzhou, the ILI% and the positive rate of influenza virus in sentinel hospitals decreased significantly.

Streptococcus agalactiae (group B streptococcus, GBS) is a leading causal organism of neonatal invasive diseases and severe infections in the elderly. Despite significant advances in the diagnosis and treatment of GBS infections and improvement in personal hygiene standards, this pathogen is still a global health concern. Thus, an effective vaccine against GBS would augment existing strategies to substantially decrease GBS infection. In 2014, World Health Organization convened the first meeting for consultation on GBS vaccine development, focusing on the GBS maternal immunization program, which was aimed at reducing infections in neonates and young infants worldwide. Here, we review the history of GBS infections, the current vaccine candidates, and the current status of immunogenicity assays used to evaluate the clinical efficacy of GBS vaccines.
Aged ; Diagnosis ; Global Health ; Humans ; Hygiene ; Immunization Programs ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Polysaccharides ; Streptococcus ; Streptococcus agalactiae ; Treatment Outcome ; Vaccines ; Vaccines, Conjugate ; World Health Organization

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of ursolic acid on the chloride channels and cell volume in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells (CNE-2Z). The whole-cell patch clamp technique was used to detect the current, and cell imaging technique was applied to measure cell volume. The properties of the currents induced by ursolic acid were investigated by changing the extracellular osmotic pressure, replacing the extracellular anions and applying chloride channel blockers. The results showed that, under isotonic conditions, the background current was weak and stable. When perfusing the cells with ursolic acid (100 nmol/L), a large current (-59.86 pA/pF ± 4.86 pA/pF at -80 mV, 78.92 pA/pF ± 6.39 pA/pF at +80 mV) was induced. The chloride current showed outward rectification and negligible time- and voltage-dependent inactivation. The reversal potential (-4.83 mV ± 0.30 mV) of the current was close to the calculated equilibrium potential for Cl⁻ (-0.9 mV). The permeabilities of the channel to different anions were ranked in order as follows: Cl⁻ = I⁻ > Br⁻ > gluconate. Hypertonic solutions inhibited the current induced by ursolic acid. The chloride channel blockers, tamoxifen (20 μmol/L) and 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpro-pylamino) benzoic acid (NPPB, 100 μmol/L), suppressed the current. Furthermore, ursolic acid decreased the cell volume by (11.78 ± 1.20)% in 1 h, and the effect was inhibited by NPPB. These results suggest that ursolic acid can activate chloride channels, resulting in outflow of Cl⁻ and decrease of cell volume in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells.
Carcinoma ; Cell Differentiation ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Size ; Chloride Channels ; antagonists & inhibitors ; metabolism ; Humans ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; Patch-Clamp Techniques ; Tamoxifen ; pharmacology ; Triterpenes ; pharmacology