Objective The study was to investigate a new method of rapid expansion by biomechanical methods. Methods Dogs were set up as animal models. Six areas, 5 cm?8 cm each, were symmetrically designed on a dog. Expanders of 240 ml were implanted in each area. Four groups were divided: A. Injection of 2 weeks. B. Injection of 6 weeks. C. Sham operation group. D. Blank control group. The first two groups were subdivided into three groups respectively according to maintaining times: one week, two weeks and four weeks. The following indexes were measured on the second stage surgery: biomechanical properties of the skin, stress strength, stress strain, stress relaxation and creep, the collagen content and alignment of skin. Results After expansion, maximal stress strength fell off, and stress strain curve moved backward. Relaxation curve fell off as well, as creep curve rose up. With elongation of the maintaining period, viscoelasticity of the skin gradually approximated normal skin, and had less relation with injection time. With the maintaining period increased, the collage content increased distinctly, and the alignment became much order. Conclusion Two week maintaining period is very important for expanded skin to recover the biomechanical properties and the content of collagen and alignment.

Objective To investigate the curative effect of methotrexate in treating systemic lupus erythema-tosus(SLE). Methods The chosen outpatients were divided into 2 groups,group A(28 cases) :MTX combined with small dosage of prednisone (prednlsone 10mg/d) ; group B (20 cuses) : medium dosage of prednisone (prednisone 30rag/d). Observation includes SLE disease activity index(SLEDAI) ,relapse while dosage of prednisone was reduced to small amount and drug side effects. Results The SLEDAI score of group A was reduced from (9.4±2.1) to (4.1±0.9) ,and group B from (8.6±2.5) to (4.0±1.0). Compared the result of before and after treatment be-twcen the two groups, the curative effect is obvious (P<0.01). However, there was no significant difference of efficacy between the two groups(P>0.25). While dosage of prednisone was reduced to 10mg/d ,there were 8 cases of relapse in group B,and only 3 cases in group A during the entire observation period. The difference is significant (P<0.025). The side effect of group A is gastrointestinal reaction and for B is mainly the cushing syndrome. Conclusion MTX is an effective treatment fw the light and medium activity SLE,and can reduce the dose of prednisone, prevent long-term using large dose of prednisone which will cause side effect.

Objective To evaluate the effect of the integrated strategy in prevention and control of intestinal nematodiasis in Hongze County,so as to provide the evidence for formulating the control strategies and measures in the future. Methods Since 1995,the integrated strategy has been carried out for intestinal nematodiasis,and the measures included deworming,health ed?ucation,safe water,sanitation and environmental remediation. The effects of the integrated strategy were evaluated by the inves?tigations of the prevalence of soil?transmitted nematodiasis,awareness of health knowledge and behaviors of residents. Results From 1995 to 2014,601 900 person?times were administrated with deworming medication and the coverage rate of villages and towns was 100%. The benefit rate of safe water was 100%. The popularity rate of harmless toilets was 92.77%. The prevalence of intestinal nematodiasis decreased from 26.04%in 1995 to 0.56%in 2014,and the difference had statistical significance(χ2=693.54,P < 0.01). The awareness rate of health knowledge and correct rate of health behaviors increased from 43.13% and 40.94%in 1995 to 98.00%and 96.80%in 2012,respectively(χ2=181.97 and 182.14 respectively,P<0.01). Conclusion The prevalence of intestinal nematodiasis has been controlled effectively through the integrated strategy in Hongze County ,Jiang?su Province.

A simple, rapid and sensitive colorimetric reverse-transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) was developed for rapid detection of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). The method employed six primers that recognized sequences of a nucleocapsid gene for amplification of nucleic acids under isothermal conditions at 63 degrees C for 60 min. Products were detected through a LA-320c Loopamp Turbidimeter (real-time RT-LAMP) or visual inspection of color change by pre-addition of Hydroxynaphthol Blue dye (visual RT-LAMP). Specificity of RT-LAMP was validated by detection of several human coronaviruses and common respiratory viruses. MERS-CoV real-time RT-LAMP had a linear correlation (R2) of 0.995 at 10(3)-10(6) copies. The limit of detection of real-time RT-LAMP, visual RT-LAMP and quantitative real-time PCR was 500, 1000 and 100 copies/reaction, respectively. The established RT-LAMP assay was demonstrated to be a rapid screening tool for MERS-CoV infection, and could be suitable in resource-limited clinical sites and for field studies.
Coronavirus Infections ; virology ; DNA Primers ; genetics ; Humans ; Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus ; classification ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques ; methods ; Reverse Transcription

Objective To construct and express ribonuclease-resistant virus-like particles containing the RNA fragmengts of MERS-CoV N gene.Methods The coat protein and maturase gene of E.coli bacteriophage MS2 was amplified by PCR,then the gene was cloned into pET32a to construct the intermediate vector pET32MS.The gene fragments harboring MERS-CoV N gene and beta-actin was cloned into the downstream of pET32MS to construct the prokaryotic expression vector p32MS-EMC-Beta.The recombinant plasmid p32MS-EMC-Beta was transformed into E.coli BL21 (DE) competent cells and induced with IPTG.The virus-like particles were obtained after purification.RNase digestion test and stability test were carried out to observe the stability of the particles.Results The RNase-resistant virus-like particles which was able to express the gene fragments containing MERS-CoV N gene and beta-actin were successfully produced and were shown to be stored stable for 30 days at 37℃.Conclusion The virus-like particles with high safety and stability can be used as positive standards and quality controls in the application of MERS-CoV detection.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the genotype of staphylococcal chromosomal cassette mec (SCCmec) in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolated from burn wards and its current status of drug resistance.

METHODSOne hundred and seventy-nine strains of Staphylococcus aureus were isolated from wound excretion, blood, and sputum samples of patients that were admitted to ICU or public wards of our Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery from September 2012 to September 2013. Among them, 68 strains were from ICU and 111 strains from public wards. The MRSA phenotype of Staphylococcus aureus was detected with cefoxitin K-B disk diffusion method, and the isolation rates of MRSA in ICU and public wards were compared. Genotyping of SCCmec was performed by PCR in strains of MRSA. In the meantime, the identification result of MRSA by K-B method was verified through detecting methicillin-resistant determinant mecA. The antimicrobial resistance of MRSA and methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) to 23 kinds of commonly used antibiotics in clinic were detected by K-B disk diffusion method. Except for the antibiotics to which the resistant rates of MRSA were 100.0% or 0, the resistant rates of SCCmecIII MRSA and non-SCCmec III MRSA to the rest of antibiotics were compared. Data were processed with Pearson chi-square test or corrected chi-square test.

RESULTSOne hundred and forty-eight strains out of the 179 Staphylococcus aureus were identified as MRSA (accounting for 82.7%), among which 62 were originated from ICU and 86 from public wards. The rest 31 strains of Staphylococcus aureus were MSSA, accounting for 17.3%. The percentage of MRSA in the isolated Staphylococcus aureus was 91.2% (62/68) in ICU, which was significantly higher than that in the public wards [77.5% (86/111), χ2 = 5.526, P = 0.019]. PCR detection showed that the 148 strains of MRSA harbored the mecA gene, out of which 106 strains were SCCmec III positive, accounting for 71.6%. The percentages of SCCmec III type MRSA in MRSA isolated from ICU and public wards were respectively 72.6% (45/62) and 70.9% (61/86), showing no statistically significant difference (χ2 = 0.048, P = 0.826). The 148 strains of MRSA were 100.0% resistant to a total of 8 kinds of antibiotics including penicillin and cephalosporins, but it was 0 for vancomycin, teicoplanin, linezolid, tigecycline, nitrofurantoin, and quinupristin/dalfopristin. Except for the 6 kinds of antibiotics to which the resistant rates of MRSA and MSSA were 0, resistant rates of MRSA to the remaining 17 kinds of antibiotics were significantly higher than those of MSSA (with χ2 values from 4.091 to 138.546, P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). Resistant rates of the 106 strains of SCCmecIII type MRSA to levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, rifampicin, tetracycline, erythrocin, lincomycin, gentamicin, clindamycin were respectively 56.6% (60/106), 85.8% (91/106), 89.6% (95/106), 86.8% (92/106), 84.9% (90/106), 78.3% (83/106), 92.5% (98/106), 74.5% (79/106), and they were significantly higher than those of the 42 strains of non-SCCmec III type MRSA [33.3% (14/42), 61.9% (26/42), 71.4% (30/42), 66.7% (28/42), 69.0% (29/42), 57.1% (24/42), 71.4% (30/42), 52.4% (22/42), with χ2 values from 4.801 to 11.377, P < 0.05 or P < 0.01].

CONCLUSIONSIsolation rate of MRSA from burn wards in our hospital is high, and drug resistance status of this strain against antibiotics is very serious. SCCmec III is the major genotype of the isolated MRSA, but no strains resistant to the glycopeptide antibiotics are found.

Anti-Bacterial Agents ; pharmacology ; Burns ; microbiology ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; genetics ; Drug Resistance, Multiple ; Genes, Bacterial ; genetics ; Genotype ; Humans ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus ; drug effects ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Staphylococcal Infections ; drug therapy ; epidemiology

Given the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and the risks of spread to other regions, a rapid, sensitive and simple method for the detection of the Ebola virus (EBOV) is of great significance for the prevention and control of Ebola. We developed a simple colorimetric isothermal multiple self-matching initiated amplification (IMSA) for rapid detection of the Zaire subtype of the Ebola virus (EBOV-Z). This method employed six primers that recognized seven sites of the EBOV-Z nucleoprotein gene for amplification of nucleic acids under isothermal conditions at 63 degrees C for 1 h. Amplification products were detected through visual inspection of color change by pre-addition of hydroxyl naphthol blue dye. Relative sensitivity was validated by detection of serial tenfold dilutions of virus-like particles containing the partial EBOV-Z nucleoprotein gene and mock clinical sample. Specificity of IMSA was validated by detection of the plasma of 30 healthy volunteers, the dengue virus, and Japanese encephalitis virus. IMSA had comparable sensitivity to Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), and cross-reaction with human plasma or other viruses was not observed. Reverse transcription-isothermal multiple self-matching initiated amplification (RT-IMSA) was also evaluated and compared in parallel with the commercial RT-qPCR kit for detection of EBOV-suspected samples of human blood in Sierra Leone. Sensitivity and specificity of the RT-IMSA was 91.4% and 100%, respectively. These data suggest that RT-IMSA is a valuable tool for the detection of the EBOV with the distinct advantages of simplicity and low cost compared with RT-qPCR.
Colorimetry ; methods ; DNA Primers ; genetics ; Ebolavirus ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola ; diagnosis ; virology ; Humans ; Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques ; methods

Objective:To analyze the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of epithelioid glioblastoma (eGBM), and to quantitatively analyze the characteristics of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) , perfusion-weighted imaging (PWI) and magnetic resonance spectrum (MRS) of eGBM patients.Methods:The MRI results of eight cases of eGBM confirmed by pathology in the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University from October 2016 to November 2018 were analyzed retrospectively. The location, edge, signal, peritumoral edema, adjacent meningeal invasion and enhancement of the patients were observed, and the changes of ADC value, relative cerebral blood flow (rCBF), relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV) and the ratio of choline (Cho)/N-acetyl-L-aspartic acid (NAA) were analyzed.Results:Among the eight patients, the main tumors were located in temporal lobe ( n=3), frontal lobe ( n=3) and parietal lobe ( n=2). The boundary of the lesion was clear in six cases and unclear in two cases. The lesions were superficial in five cases and in deep white matter in three cases. Bleeding could be seen in four cases. There were three cases with cystic change and four cases with necrosis, and there was no cystic necrosis only in one case. There was no edema around the lesion in one case, severe edema in five cases and moderate edema in two cases. The adjacent meninge was involved in four cases and the ependyma was involved in one case. Two patients had leptomeningeal metastasis within two months after operation. The average ADC value of tumor parenchyma in eight patients was 7.15×10 -4 mm 2/s, which was 17.6% lower than that of the contralateral side. MRS showed that the ratio of Cho/NAA in the lesions of two patients were 5.27, 0.81. PWI showed that the rCBV in the lesions of two patients was 3.51 ml/100 g and 3.32 ml/100 g, respectively, which was 36% and 29% higher than that of the contralateral side, respectively. And the rCBF of the lesions was 31.5 ml·100 g -1·min -1and 82.1 ml·100 g -1·min -1, respectively, which increased by 49% and 203% respectively compared with the contralateral side. Conclusions:eGBM has the characteristics of superficial location, easy to be cystic, but the wall of the cyst is not smooth and uneven, the boundary of the mass is clear, the adjacent meninges are easy to be involved and the meningeal tail sign appears, and it is easy to be spread by cerebrospinal fluid. ADC value, PWI and MRS can provide some help for preoperative tumor grading.

OBJECTIVE: By detecting the myelin structure in acoustic tumor tissues, the cell origin and state of acoustic tumor tissues were investigated. METHOD: Immunofluorescence labeling, immunoblot analysis and electron microscopic study were performed to identify myelin structure and myelin protein in acoustic tumor tissues. RESULT: In this work, we found some early stage of myelin forming in acoustic tumor tissues, but there were no axon nor compact myelin formed and the myelin basic protein whose expression indicates the beginning of myelination was negative detected. We also found that the cell of acoustic tumor express p75,a marker for immature Schwann cells and mature non-myelin-forming Schwann cells. CONCLUSION The date shown in this experiment indicates that the cell of acoustic tumor is in a remyelinating state.
Humans ; Microscopy, Electron ; Myelin Sheath ; pathology ; ultrastructure ; Neuroma, Acoustic ; pathology ; Schwann Cells ; pathology

Objective To explore the value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in improving the diagnosis ability for xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis ( XGC ) and wall-thickening gallbladder cancer ( GBC) . Methods Forth-three patients with XGCs and 31 patients with wall-thickening GBCs proved by pathology were enrolled in this study ,the features on conventional ultrasound and CEUS were recorded ,and the preliminary diagnosis before and after CEUS were given by doctors . Results Significant differences were found in continuous gallbladder inner wall and arterial blood supplement on conventional ultrasound , 58 .1％ (25/43) had continuous inner wall and 34 .9％ (15/43) had arterial blood flow in XGCs compared to 19 .4％ (6/31) and 100％ in GBCs . On CEUS ,72 .1％ (31/43) demonstrated continuous gallbladder inner wall and 48 .8％ (21/43) had hypoechoic nodules in the wall in XGCs compared to 16 .1％ (5/31) and 19 .4％ (6/31) in GBCs ,respectively ( P <0 .05) . No significant difference was found in intra-calcification , infiltration to adjacent organs ,gallbladder stones and fast-in and fast-out enhanced pattern( P >0 .05) . The area under ROC curve was improved from 0 .701 to 0 .899 after combining with CEUS ( P < 0 .05 ) . Conclusions Conventional ultrasound combining with CEUS could help acquiring more effective ultrasonic information and may improve the differential diagnosis ability of XGCs and GBCs .