Objective To observe and discus the clinical features and outcome of aseptic encephali-tis in children. Methods One hundred and one cases treated in PICU of Shengjing Hospital of China Medi-cal University and diagnosed with aseptic encephalitis from December 2009 to December 2012 were enrolled. Results The clinical manifestations, signs, laboratory examinations and outcome were analyzed retrospec-tively. Among them, 54 cases were male,47 cases were female,12 cases aged from 1 month old to 6 months old,12 cases aged from 7 months old to 1 year old,36 cases aged from 2 years old to 3 years old,12 cases aged from 4 years old to 6 years old,19 cases aged from 7 years old to 14 years old. The fever was the most common clinical manifestation, a total of 92 cases ( 91. 1%) , followed by convulsions, a total of 79 cases (78. 2%),63 cases with meningeal irritation or pathological signs positive(62. 4%). The sensitivity of elec-troencephalography( EEG) was the highest for diagnosis of aseptic encephalitis,89 cases underwent EEG with abnormal rate of 84. 3%(75/101). Followed by head MRI scan,97 cases underwent head MRI scan with ab-normal rate of 55. 7%(54/101). All cases underwent cerebrospinal fluid examination,50 cases with white blood cells and(or) protein increased(49. 5%). The sensitivity of head CT scan was the lowest,the abnor-malities were found in 11 cases ( 17. 5%) among 63 cases underwent head CT scan. All cases were given comprehensive treatment of sedation, antifebrile, reducing intracranial pressure and nerve nutrational treat-ment. Seventy cases were cured,20 cases left neurological sequelae,7 cases gave up treatment,4 cases died. Conclusion The children aseptic encephalitis occurs in infants and young children,the incidence of male and female are equal. The clinical manifestations are diverse,the most common manifestations are fever and con-vulsion,EEG and MRI are with high sensitivity. Most patients have good outcome if received symptomatic treatment early. A few cases left neurological sequelae,such as consciousness and dyskinesia. Respiratory fail-ure,neurogenic shock,eventually death would occour if the brainstem was involved.

Objective To evaluate the feasibility of prospective electrocardiogram(ECG)-gating computed tomography coronary angiography(CTCA).Methods Sixty patients with suspected or known coronary artery disease underwent 64-slice CTCA using prospective ECG-gating.Multi-planar reconstruction (MPR),curved-planar reconstruction(CPR),maximum intensity projection(MIP)and volume rendering (VR)were used to demonstrate the coronary arteries.The image quality and radiation dose was evaluated.Results The mean effective radiation dose was(2.7±0.2)mSv.93.3%(720/772)segments of all coronary arteries were of diagnostic image quality,44.2%(341/772)Was classified as excellent and 49.1%(379/772)was good.Non-diagnostic coronary segments were found in 6.7%(52/772)of all coronary arteries.Therewere 5(8.3%)cases with severe coronary stenosis(＞75%)or occlusion,17(28.4%)cases with moderate stenosis(50%-75%),18(30.0%)cases with mild stenosis(＜50%)or irregular lumen,20(33.3%)cases with normal coronary artery.Conclusion With a low radiation dose,prospective electrocardiogram(ECG)-gated coronary 64-MSCT angiography has a good potential for the detection of coronary stenosis,especially for excluding coronary artery disease.

Objective To investigate the clinical and imaging features of pseudo subarachnoid hemorrhage(pseudo-SAH) in order to provide a theoretical basis for correct diagnosis and reducing misdiagnosis.Methods The clinical and imaging data of 5 patients with pseudo-SAH were retrospectively analyzed and summarized.Results Five pseudo-SAH patients had a history of unconsciousness,respiratory disorder,mechanical ventilation,hypoxemia and acidosis.Cranial CT showed diffuse cerebral edema and high density of cerebral fissure and cerebral ventricle,and there was no bloody cerebrospinal fluid via lumbar puncture.In the five patients,one improved,three died,and one gave up treating because of invalid treatment.Conclusions All patients have a history of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy before onset of pseudo-SAH.The clinical manifestation of pseudoSAH includes encephalopathy symptom such as unconsciousness,headache,seizure,etc.Cranial CT shows diffuse cerebral edema,high density of cerebral fissure and cerebral ventricle,and there is no bloody cerebrospinal fluid via lumbar puncture.Prognosis of pseudo-SAH is often bad.And most patients show critically illness and high mortality.

To analyze the molecular basis of the variation of the pathogenicity of the influenza B virus, we rescued a recombinant virus with a deletion in the carboxyl terminal of the NS1 protein using reverse genetics based on the parental virus B-S9 of B/Yamagata/16/88. A mutant strain with a deletion of 171 amino acids in the carboxyl terminal of the NS1 protein was named "B-L5". BALB/c mice were inoculated with 3 X 105 EID50 of B-L5 and the parental virus B-S9, respectively. Then, weight changes, survival, and viral titers were documented. During 3 days post-inoculation (dpi) to 7 dpi, the weight of mice infected with B-S9 decreased. However, the weight of mice infected with B-L5 showed weight decreases only at 2 dpi, and quickly recovered at 3 dpi. B-S9 and B-L5 could replicate in the lungs of BALB/c mice. However, viral titers in the lungs of mice infected with B-L5 were 7900-times lower than those of mice infected with B-S9 at 3 dpi. Viral titers in the lungs of mice infected with B-L5 were not detected at 6 dpi. These results showed that, compared with the parent virus B-S9, the mutant virus B-L5 showed lower pathogenicity in BALB/c mice. Our study suggests that deletion of the carboxyl terminal of the NS1 protein decreases the pathogenicity of the influenza B virus. Establishment of a reverse-genetics system for the B influenza virus will provide a platform for studying its pathogenesis, and mechanism of transmission, and for developing live-attenuated influenza B virus vaccines.
Animals ; Body Weight ; Dogs ; Female ; HEK293 Cells ; Humans ; Influenza B virus ; genetics ; pathogenicity ; physiology ; Madin Darby Canine Kidney Cells ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Sequence Deletion ; Survival Analysis ; Viral Load ; genetics ; Viral Nonstructural Proteins ; chemistry ; genetics ; Virulence

The patients with trauma have a high mortality and disability rate, and the incidence of trauma is increasing year by year.Rapid and accurate diagnosis is the key to improve the prognosis of patients with trauma.The traditional diagnostic imaging techniques are X-ray and CT examination.Although X-ray examination can be completed at the bedside, its sensitivity is not high.The diagnostic sensitivity of CT examination is high, but it can not be completed by bedside.Moreover, the process of repeated transportation of patients will delay the best treatment time, even cause secondary injury.Bedside ultrasound has the advantages of fast, real-time, noninvasive and repeatable operation.With the continuous development of bedside ultrasound technology, it has been widely used in the diagnosis of trauma.This review summarized the clinical applications of bedside ultrasound in trauma patients.

Objective To study the significance of leptin and its receptor(OB-R) in the occurrence and development of pulmonary arterial hypertension(PAH) induced by monocrotaline(MCT).Methods Fifteen SD rats were divided into the control group(n=5) and two experimental groups(n=10).The experimental groups were intraperitoneally injected by MCT for constructing the PAH model and the control group was injected by the same dose of solvent groups.The venous blood was extracted at 2,4 weeks after MCT injection in the two experimental groups.The mean pulmonary artery pressure(mPAP) and right ventricular hypertrophy index(RVHI) were measured and then the lung tissue was removed.The pathological change of lung blood vessels was observed.The expression of serum leptin was detected by ELISA.The expression of OB-R in lung tissue was tested by Western blot.Results Compared with the control group,mPAP and RVHI in the experimental groups were significantly increased(P＜0.05);the expression levels of serum leptin and lung tissue OB-R were increased significantly(P＜0.05),moreover,which were positively correlated with mPAP(r=0.912,P＜0.05;r=0.861,P＜0.05).Conclusion Leptin and OB-R may play an important role in the occurrence and development of PAH induced by MCT.

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is an acute, febrile zoonotic disease that is caused by the RVF virus (RVFV). RVF is mainly prevalent on the Arabian Peninsula, the African continent, and several islands in the Indian Ocean near southeast Africa. RVFV has been classified by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) as a category A pathogen. To avoid biological safety concerns associated with use of the pathogen in RVFV neutralization assays, the present study investigated and established an RVFV pseudovirus-based neutralization assay. This study used the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) lentiviral packaging system and RVFV structural proteins to successfully construct RVFV pseudoviruses. Electron microscopy observation and western blotting indicated that the size, structure, and shape of the packaged pseudoviruses were notably similar to those of HIV lentiviral vectors. Infection inhibition assay results showed that an antibody against RVFV inhibited the infective ability of the RVFV pseudoviruses, and an antibody neutralization assay for RVFV detection was then established. This study has successfully established a neutralization assay based on RVFV pseudoviruses and demonstrated that this method can be used to effectively evaluate antibody neutralization.
Africa ; Animals ; Blotting, Western ; HIV ; Indian Ocean ; Islands ; Methods ; Microscopy, Electron ; Product Packaging ; Rift Valley fever virus ; Rift Valley Fever ; Zoonoses

Cystatin, a cysteine protease inhibitor found in many parasites, plays important roles in immune evasion. This study analyzed the molecular characteristics of a cystatin from Fasciola hepatica (FhCystatin) and expressed recombinant FhCystatin (rFhcystatin) to investigate the immune modulatory effects on lipopolysaccharide-induced proliferation, migration, cytokine secretion, nitric oxide (NO) production, and apoptosis in mouse macrophages. The FhCystatin gene encoded 116 amino acids and contained a conserved cystatin-like domain. rFhCystatin significantly inhibited the activity of cathepsin B. rFhCystatin bound to the surface of mouse RAW264.7 cells, significantly inhibited cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis. Moreover, rFhCystatin inhibited the expression of cellular nitric oxide, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α, and promoted the expression of transforming growth factor-β and interleukin-10. These results showed that FhCystatin played an important role in regulating the activity of mouse macrophages. Our findings provide new insights into mechanisms underlying the immune evasion and contribute to the exploration of potential targets for the development of new drug to control F. hepatica infection.

To develop a specific, rapid, and convenient immunochromatography assay (ICA) to detect the rabies antibody in clinical sample from immuned dogs by rabies vaccine. Colloidal gold particles labeled with purified rabies virus (CVS11) were used as the detector reagent. The staphylococcal protein A (SPA) and pured rabbit anti-rabies virus IgG were blotted on the test and control regions of nitrocellulose membrane. Then the strip was assembled with sample pad, absorbing pad, and dorsal shield. The assay samples (261 dog's serum) were collected from Wildlife Rabies Disease Diagnostic Laboratories of Ministry of Agriculture in China, Institute of Military Veterinary, Academy of Military Medical Sciences and other six provinces, including rabies virus positive and negative serum. The performance of the strip was compared to fluorescent antibody virus neutralization test. The neutralizing antibody titer could be detected above 0.5 IU. The strip did not change of performance when stored at room temperature for 12 months. It may offer reference of neutralizing antibody titer level after dogs immuned rabies vaccine and determin whether the dogs need to be immuned again.
Animals ; Antibodies, Neutralizing ; analysis ; blood ; Antibodies, Viral ; analysis ; blood ; Dogs ; Gold Colloid ; Immunochromatography ; methods ; Rabies ; prevention & control ; veterinary ; Rabies Vaccines ; immunology ; Rabies virus ; immunology ; Reagent Strips ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Vaccination

Monoclonal antibody-based therapy has achieved great success and is now one of the most crucial therapeutic modalities for cancer therapy. The first monoclonal antibody authorized for treating human epidermal growth receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer is trastuzumab. However, resistance to trastuzumab therapy is frequently encountered and thus significantly restricts the therapeutic outcomes. To address this issue, tumor microenvironment (TME) pH-responsive nanoparticles (NPs) were herein developed for systemic mRNA delivery to reverse the trastuzumab resistance of breast cancer (BCa). This nanoplatform is comprised of a methoxyl-poly (ethylene glycol)-b-poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) copolymer with a TME pH-liable linker (Meo-PEG-Dlink _m -PLGA) and an amphiphilic cationic lipid that can complex PTEN mRNA via electrostatic interaction. When the long-circulating mRNA-loaded NPs build up in the tumor after being delivered intravenously, they could be efficiently internalized by tumor cells due to the TME pH-triggered PEG detachment from the NP surface. With the intracellular mRNA release to up-regulate PTEN expression, the constantly activated PI3K/Akt signaling pathway could be blocked in the trastuzumab-resistant BCa cells, thereby resulting in the reversal of trastuzumab resistance and effectively suppress the development of BCa.