BACKGROUNDTo find the pathogenic agents of aseptic meningitis prevalent in Xuzhou of Jiangsu province in 2001.

METHODSThe enterovirus (EV) was cultured from CSF of the patients and identified with anti-serum by neutralization test. Neutralization titer of antibody in paired sera from meningitis children was determined. EV RNA was detected by RT-PCR.

RESULTSFour strains of Coxsackievirus B5, 2 strains of Coxsackievirus B3 and 1 strain of Echovirus 7 were isolated from 22 CSF specimens. The isolation rate of virus was 31.8% (7/22), 21 CSF were tested by RT-PCR, the positive rate of EV RNA was 52.4% (11/21); 57.9% (11/19) of patients paired-sera had over 4 folds antibody rise or became seroconverted.

CONCLUSIONEnterovirus was the pathogenic agent of aseptic meningitis prevalent in Xuzhou of Jiangsu province, the main serotype of the virus was Coxsackievirus B5.

Antibodies, Viral ; immunology ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Coxsackievirus Infections ; cerebrospinal fluid ; epidemiology ; virology ; Echovirus Infections ; cerebrospinal fluid ; epidemiology ; virology ; Enterovirus ; genetics ; immunology ; isolation & purification ; Humans ; Infant ; Meningitis, Aseptic ; cerebrospinal fluid ; epidemiology ; virology ; Microscopy, Electron ; Neutralization Tests ; Prevalence ; RNA, Viral ; genetics ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Virion ; isolation & purification ; ultrastructure

OBJECTIVETo assess the left ventricular longitudinal rotation (LR) in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).

METHODSConventional echocardiography (GE-Vivid7) was performed in 35 healthy subjects and 42 DCM patients. Left atrial diameter was measured by M-mode echocardiography, left ventricular end-systolic, end-diastolic volume and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were calculated by bi-plane simpson's method. The peak velocity during early diastole (Ve) and late diastole (Va) of anterior mitral valve were measured by pulse-waved doppler, and the ratio Ve/Va was calculated. The peak radial systolic strain, strain rate in systolic, early and late diastolic periods were measured. Segmental LR and global LR were assessed using two-dimensional speckle tracking imaging (2D-STI).

RESULTSThe peak radial systolic strain, strain rate in systolic, early and late diastolic periods in DCM group were significantly lower than in healthy subjects, the rotation degrees of the middle and base lateral, the apex and the base septum walls were significantly lower than those of the healthy subjects. A prominent counterclockwise LR (0.76° ± 2.63°) was shown in healthy subjects while prominent clockwise LR (-1.58° ± 3.42°) was present in DCM patients. The time delay between the left ventricular lateral wall and the base septum wall in DCM patients significantly correlated with the peak LR of the left ventricular (r = 0.409, P < 0.01; r = 0.396, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS2D-STI can be used to assess the LR in DCM patients and a clockwise LR is present in DCM patients which might be caused by the time delay between the left ventricular lateral wall and the base-septum wall.

Cardiomyopathy, Dilated ; physiopathology ; Case-Control Studies ; Diagnostic Imaging ; Diastole ; Echocardiography ; Echocardiography, Doppler ; Heart Atria ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans ; Rotation ; Systole ; Ventricular Function, Left

BACKGROUNDThe down-regulation of constitutive nitric oxide synthase (cNOS) and up-regulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) are associated with the allergen-provocated airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR). This study aimed to determine whether their alteration also plays an important role in the AHR induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS).

METHODSHartley male guinea pigs, weighing between 250 g and 350 g, were injected with LPS at a dose of 1 mg/kg every 24 hours for three days. A non-selective NOS inhibitor, N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), or a selective inducible NOS inhibitor, aminoguanidine (AG), were used thirty minutes before each injection of LPS. Airway reactions, nitric oxide (NO) production and inflammatory changes were detected 24 hours after the last dose of LPS.

RESULTSAG significantly decreased the NO production in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and sharply reduced the intensity of bronchoconstriction to histamine challenge. L-NAME also significantly decreased the NO production in the BALF, but had no effect on airway reactions or, perhaps, a tendency to enhance the intensity of AHR.

CONCLUSIONSThe data suggest that inducible NOS contributes to the AHR induced by repetitive intraperitoneal LPS, and constitutive NOS was also involved.

Airway Resistance ; drug effects ; Animals ; Bronchial Hyperreactivity ; chemically induced ; Enzyme Inhibitors ; pharmacology ; Guanidines ; pharmacology ; Guinea Pigs ; Lipopolysaccharides ; toxicity ; Male ; NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester ; pharmacology ; Nitric Oxide ; biosynthesis ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; antagonists & inhibitors ; physiology

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the efficacy and investigate the influencing factors of the interferon (IFN) retreatment for patients with chronic hepatitis C relapsed after a previous IFN treatment.

METHODSA retrospective study was designed to analyze the retreatment with IFN of 60 relapsed chronic hepatitis C patients. All patients were from a randomized, opened and multi-center clinical trial about the efficacy and security of PEG-IFNalpha-2a compared to CIFNalpha-2a in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C in China. There were 35 patients treated with PEG-IFNalpha-2a and 25 with CIFNalpha-2a. The main parameter to evaluate the efficacy was sustained viral response (SVR) rate. The influence of viral concentration in serum, genotype and drug categories on the responses to IFN were analyzed.

RESULTSFor all the patients, the end of treatment virus response (ETVR) and SVR rates were 55.00% and 35.00% respectively. ETVR rate of PEG-IFNalpha-2a was significantly higher than that of CIFNalpha-2a (74.29% and 28.00% respectively, P < 0.01). SVR rate of PEG-IFNalpha-2a was also markedly higher than that of CIFNalpha-2a (45.71% and 20.00% respectively, P < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference between the high and low viral load groups. Among the patients with genotype 1, ETVR and SVR rates of PEG-IFNalpha-2a (75.00%, 45.83%) were significantly higher than those of CIFNalpha-2a (22.22%, 11.11%), (P < 0.01, P < 0.05 respectively), but in patients with genotype non-1, there were no such differences between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONSome relapsed patients were not responsive to the IFN retreatment. The efficacy of PEG-IFNalpha-2a was superior to CIFNalpha-2a. The conventional IFN was not suggested to be used in the relapsed cases with genotype 1. The viral load was not associated with the efficacy of IFN retreatment.

Adult ; Antiviral Agents ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Hepatitis C, Chronic ; therapy ; Humans ; Interferon-alpha ; therapeutic use ; Interferon-beta ; Interferons ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polyethylene Glycols ; therapeutic use ; Recombinant Proteins ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVETo explore the demographic characteristics and clinical features of patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) in China.

METHODSBetween March 2007 and September 2010, IPAH diagnosis was confirmed by right heart catheterization in 150 adult patients from 31 clinical centers in China. Clinical and hemodynamic data were analyzed and patients were divided into WHO functional class I/II and WHO functional class III/IV group.

RESULTSThe mean age of 150 patients were 36 ± 13 years with female patient/male patient ratio of 2:1, and mean BMI was (21.3 ± 3.5) kg/m(2). Fatigue (n = 123, 82.0%) and dyspnea (n = 112, 74.7%) are the most common symptoms. Accentuated pulmonic second sound (P(2)) was detected in 92.0% (n = 138) of patients during physical examination, which was also the most common sign. About 49.0% (n = 73) patients were WHO functional class I/II patients and 46.0% (n = 68) patients were WHO functional class III/IV patients. Six minutes walking distance (6MWD) and Borg dyspnea score was (337 ± 101) m and 2.0 (2.0, 4.0), respectively. Right ventricular hypertrophy was suggested by ECG in 93.1% (n = 140) patients. Right atrial pressure was (10 ± 6) mm Hg, mean pulmonary artery pressure was (61 ± 16) mm Hg, cardiac index was (2.3 ± 0.8) L×min(-1)×m(-2) and pulmonary vascular resistance (1484 ± 699) dyn×s(-1)×cm(-5) in this cohort. 6 MWD (305 m ± 89 m vs. 377 m ± 88 m) was significantly shorter while Borg dyspnea score [3.0 (3.0, 5.0) vs. 2.0 (2.0, 3.0)] was significantly higher in WHO functional class III/IV patients than in WHO functional class I/II patients. Similarly hemodynamic parameters were also worse in WHO functional class III/IV patients than in WHO functional class I/II patients (all P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONIdiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension patients in this cohort affect mostly young adults, dominated by female gender and lower body mass index. Fatigue and dyspnea are the most common symptoms and accentuated pulmonic second sound (P(2)) is the most common sign. IPAH patients are often displaying severe functional and hemodynamic disturbance at first visit to hospitals. Dyspnea and hemodynamic impairment are related to 6MWD and WHO functional class.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Familial Primary Pulmonary Hypertension ; Female ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; diagnosis ; physiopathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Ventricular Function ; Young Adult