Objectives To study health-related quality of life(HRQOL) of children with subclinical epileptiform electroencephalographic discharges.Methods Subjects were 30 children with subclinical epileptiform electroencephalographic discharges,50 children with clinical seizures,28 children without clinical seizures and 30 controls.Guardians completed a valid epilepsy-specific HRQOL questionnaire for children,the quality of life in children epilepsy questionnaire(QOLCE).Results Children with subclinical epileptiform electroencephalographic discharges have 8 subscales scores lower than control group,2 subscales scores higher than group with clinical seizures.Conclusions Quality of life of children with subclinical epileptiform electroencephalographic discharges is better than that of children with clinical seizures.However cognitive,behavior,daily life and social activity are impaired by subclinical epileptiform electroencephalographic discharges and lowered the HRQOL of children.

Animals ; Cattle ; China ; epidemiology ; Echinococcosis ; epidemiology ; parasitology ; transmission ; Echinococcus granulosus ; pathogenicity ; Humans ; Seasons

Objective To make a comparison for the neutrophils prepared either by induction of differentiation of myeloid leuke-mia cell line,or by separation and purification of peripheral blood cells,or by induction of myeloid differentiation of peripheral blood stem cells.Methods NB4 cells were induced differentiation by 1μmol/L all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA)to mature granulo-cytes;neutrophils were separated and purified from peripheral blood by lysis of red blood cells followed by negative selection using magnetic bead-labeled antibodies;hematopoietic stem cells were separated and purified from peripheral blood by Percoll gradient centrifugation followed by negative selection using magnetic bead-labeled antibodies,and were induced to myeloid differentiation by GM-CSF and G-CSF.Morphology and purity of neutrophils prepared by these three methods were studied by means of MGG stai-ning.CD18 protein expression and subcellular distribution were studied by means of immunofluorescence staining.Results Purity of neutrophil was above 40% by induction of differentiation of NB4 cells,and was about 90% if purified from peripheral blood,and was above 70% if induced by myeloid differentiation of peripheral blood stem cells.There was no obvious difference for CD18 ex-pression in neutrophils prepared by these three methods,and staining of CD18 had a dotted pattern distributed in these cells.Con-clusion Peripheral blood neutrophils prepared by lysis of red blood cells followed by negative selection using magnetic bead-labeled antibodies are with high purity and viability which is suitable for immediate test of neutrophils from fresh blood.Neutrophils pre-pared by myeloid differentiation of hematopoietic stem cell are with high viability and last for days,which can be used in long test for neutrphils.

In this study, the buffering capacity of amphiphilic pH-sensitivity copolymer poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)-cholesteryl methyl carbonate (PEOZ-CHMC) was evaluated. The ammonium sulfate gradient method was used to prepare doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX x HCl)-loaded liposomes (DOX-L), and then the post-insertion method was used to prepare PEOZ-CHMC and polyethylene glycol-distearoyl phosphatidyl ethanolamine (PEG-DSPE) modified DOX x HCl-loaded liposomes (PEOZ-DOX-L and PEG-DOX-L). The physico-chemical properties, in vitro drugs release behavior, cellular toxicity and intracellular delivery of liposomes were evaluated, separately. The results showed that PEOZ-CHMC has a satisfactory buffering capacity. The sephadex G-50 column centrifugation method and dynamic light scattering were used to determine the encapsulation efficiency (EE) and particle size of liposomes. The EE and particle size of DOX-L were (97.3 ± 1.4) % and 120 nm, respectively, and the addition of PEOZ-CHMC or PEG-DSPE had no influence on EE and particle size. The zeta potentials of three kinds of liposomes were negative. The release behavior of various DOX liposomes in vitro was investigated by dialysis method. In phosphate buffer solution (PBS) at pH 7.4, DOX x HCl was released from PEOZ-DOX-L in a sustained manner. While in PBS at pH 5.0, the release rate of DOX x HCl from PEOZ-DOX-L increased significantly, which suggested DOX x HCl was released from PEOZ-DOX-L in a pH-dependent manner. The intracellular delivery of liposomes was investigated by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The CLSM images indicated that PEOZ-DOX-L showed efficient intracellular trafficking including endosomal escape and release DOX x HCl into nucleus, as well as the DOX-L and PEG-DOX-L had no this effect. The cytotoxicity of liposomes against MCF-7 cells was detected by using MTT assay. The results showed that antiproliferative effects of PEOZ-DOX-L enhanced with pH value decreased, whereas DOX-L and PEG-DOX-L did not have any significant difference in inhibitions at different pH conditions. Therefore, the problems of the inhibition of cellular uptake of liposomes and the failed endosomal escape of pH-sensitive liposomes by PEG chain can be overcome by the pH-sensitive liposomes constructed by PEOZ-CHMC.
Cell Nucleus ; Doxorubicin ; analogs & derivatives ; chemistry ; Endosomes ; Formates ; chemistry ; Humans ; Liposomes ; chemistry ; MCF-7 Cells ; Microscopy, Confocal ; Particle Size ; Phosphatidylethanolamines ; Polyamines ; chemistry ; Polyethylene Glycols ; chemistry

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the short-term effect of fangchinoline, an antiinflammatory drug widely used in Asia, on root resorption that is associated with orthodontic tooth movement. METHODS: Twenty-four Wistar rats were randomly divided into 6 groups. Mesial forces of 0, 50, or 100 g were applied to the maxillary first molar of the rats in each group for 14 days by activating nickel-titanium closed-coil springs. One-half of the rats receiving each of these treatments also received injections of 200 microL fangchinoline every 2 days. Finally, movement of the maxillary first molars was measured using digitized radiographs. The molars were extracted and the surfaces of the root resorption craters were recorded using a scanning electron microscope. The distance the molars moved and resorptionarea ratio was measured, and results were analyzed using 2-way ANOVA tests. RESULTS: There were no statistical differences in the distances the first molars moved under 50 or 100 g force, regardless of treatment with fangchinoline. However, the resorption area ratios were significantly smaller in those rats that were treated with both tension and fangchinoline than in those rats treated by tension alone. CONCLUSIONS: Fangchinoline reduced the resorption area ratio in rats and is therefore an important means of alleviating root resorption.
Animals ; Asia ; Benzylisoquinolines ; Electrons ; Gravitation ; Molar ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Root Resorption ; Tooth ; Tooth Movement

OBJECTIVETo investigate the prevalence and drug resistant patterns of community-acquired Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in children.

METHODSSamples of sputum, blood, liquor puris/secretion of skin or stool in Beijing Children's Hospital between January, 2002 and March, 2005 were cultured. The characteristics of community-acquired MRSA infection were analyzed and compared with hospital-acquired MRSA infection.

RESULTSA total of 25 strains of MRSA were found during the study period and they accounted for 4.7% in 512 strains of Staphylococcus aureus. Of the 25 strains of MRSA, 20 strains were community-acquired but only 5 were hospital-acquired. The prevalence of MRSA infection in Staphyloccus aureus has kept rising over last two years, 3.1% in 2003, 5.4% in 2004 and 7.2% in the first season of 2005. There were no statistical differences in the results of antimicrobial susceptibility testing and multi-resistance testing between the groups of community-acquired and hospital-acquired MRSA. In both groups, all isolates were susceptible to vancomycin. The percentage of the patients with underlying disease in the hospital-acquired infection group was significantly higher than in community-acquired infection group (P < 0.05), but the onset age was not different.

CONCLUSIONSThe prevalence of community-acquired MRSA infection tends to increase in children. The drug resistant patterns of community-acquired MRSA were not significantly different from the hospital-acquired MRSA in children.

Child ; Child, Preschool ; Community-Acquired Infections ; drug therapy ; microbiology ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Methicillin Resistance ; Staphylococcal Infections ; drug therapy ; microbiology ; Staphylococcus aureus ; drug effects

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of moxibustion in treating knee osteoarthritis (KO) and analyze its cost-effectiveness.Method Fifty-eight KO patients were randomized into a moxibustion group and an electroacupuncture (EA) group, 29 cases in each group. The two groups were treated 3 times a week, for successive 4 weeks. The knee joint function and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for knee joint pain were scored before and after the treatment, and the two groups were analyzed by using health economic methods.Result The knee joint function scores were significantly changed after the treatment in the two groups (P<0.05); the excellent rate was 96.6％ in EA group versus 75.9％ in moxibustion group, and the general excellent rate in EA group was markedly higher than that in moxibustion group (P<0.05); the total effective rate for pain was 93.1％ in moxibustion group versus 96.6％ in EA group, and the between-group difference was statistically insignificant (P>0.05). The cost-effectiveness ratio was 6.42 in moxibustion group versus 16.86 in EA group; the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was 298.55 in EA group. Conclusion Moxibustion and EA both can effectively improve knee joint function and mitigate knee joint pain, while compared with EA, moxibustion has a higher health economic value.

OBJECTIVETo elucidate the characteristics of variation and the genetic evolution of non-structural protein (NS1, NS2) genes related to avian influenza subtype H5N1 viruses isolated from the boundary region of Yunnan province.

METHODSSwab samples were collected from foreign poultry and wild birds in the boundary regions of Yunnan province and screened by H5/N1 subtype-specific multiplex RT-PCR. The NS segment of H5N1 virus from the positive samples were amplified by RT-PCR and cloned into pMD18-T vectors for sequencing. The alignment and phylogenetic analysis on those available NS1, NS2 genes were performed with sequences of the known reference strains.

RESULTS71 positive samples were identified from 1240 samples, with the positive rate as 5.72%. Fourteen different NS segment sequences were obtained from 30 representative positive samples and could be divided into 3 distinct clades or sub-clades (I-1, I-2 and II), by phylogenetic analysis. The NS1/NS2 genes and Hemagglutinin (HA) genes of H5N1 viruses from the boundary regions of Yunnan province showed different relationships regarding the characteristics on genetic evolution. The substitution or mutation of key amino acids sites had been noticed in the nuclear location signal domains, effect domain, and other pathogenicity markers.

CONCLUSIONNS genes of H5N1 subtype viruses in boundary region of Yunnan province showed genetic divergence and the virus of clade I-2 and II had become dominant epidemic strains in this region since 2010.

Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; Animals, Wild ; Birds ; virology ; China ; epidemiology ; Evolution, Molecular ; Genome, Viral ; Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Influenza in Birds ; epidemiology ; virology ; Phylogeny

OBJECTIVETo compare the serological characters of an outbreak of hepatitis E and evaluate sensitivity and specificity of anti-HEV E2-IgM.

METHODSThe sera collected from the employees of an outbreak unit were detected for anti-HEV E2-IgM and IgG, and the serum samples from a neighboring department were used as control. The results detected with anti-HEV E2-IgM, IgG and Genelab anti-HEV IgM, IgG in some samples were compared.

RESULTSThe positive rate of anti-HEV E2-IgM in the control group was 0.11%. The results between the positive and the negative samples can be distinguished easily. The specificity of anti-HEV E2-IgM is about 99.89%. The positive rate of anti-HEV E2-IgM in outbreak stricken population was 8.66%, significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.001). The results from HEV patients' serial samples in the outbreak unit showed that the anti-HEV E2-IgM titer was high 30-60 days after the infected and then declined clearly. The positivity seemed unrelated to neither sex nor age. Among the 115 positive to anti-HEV E2-IgM, 27 were negative to Genelab anti-HEV IgG, the fact indicated a rather high risk of misdiagnosis of about 23.48%. In the 179 randomized samples of the control group, the positive rate of Genelabs anti-HEV IgG was about 11.17%. In 110 samples for the positive anti-HEV E2-IgM, the positive ratio of Genelabs anti-HEV IgG was about 76.36%, and that of Genelabs anti-HEV IgM only 69.09%. There were 16 samples negative for both Genelabs anti-HEV IgG and IgM. The ratio of the difference between the Genelabs anti-HEV IgG and IgM was about 25.45%.

CONCLUSIONThe specificity of anti-HEV E2-IgM was about 99%, and false positive rate was low. The sensitivity of anti-HEV E2-IgM in acute hepatitis E infection was 25%-30% higher than that of Genelabs anti-HEV IgM,IgG. The infected persons in the outbreak unit can be preferably distinguished from the non-infected persons by anti-HEV E2-IgM. Anti-HEV E2-IgM can image the characters of the outbreak of HEV and played a great role in the control of outbreak and in the early diagnosis for hepatitis E.

Antibodies, Viral ; blood ; China ; epidemiology ; Disease Outbreaks ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Hepatitis E ; blood ; epidemiology ; virology ; Hepatitis E virus ; immunology ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; blood ; Immunoglobulin M ; blood

OBJECTIVETo elucidate the variation in characterizations and genetic evolution of the matrix protein 2 or ion channel protein(M2) genes of avian influenza subtype H5N1 viruses in the boundary region of Yunnan province from 2008 to 2012.

METHODSA total of swab samples were collected from foreign poultry such as the junction between Yunnan and Vietnam, Laos,myanmar and wild birds in boundary region of Yunnan province from 2008 to 2012 and screened by H5N1 subtype-specific multiplex RT-PCR. The M genes of H5N1 virus from the positive samples were amplified by RT-PCR and cloned into pMD18-T vectors for sequencing. The alignment and phylogenetic analysis of M2 genes were performed with sequences of the known reference strains.

RESULTSA total of 71 positive samples were found out of 1240 samples and the positive rate was 5.72%. A total of 14 different M2 sequences were obtained from 30 positive samples and were divided into 3 distinct clades or sub-clades(1.2.1, 1.2.2 and 2) by phylogenetic analysis, 5, 7 and 2, respectively. The M2 genes and Hemagglutinin(HA) genes of H5N1 viruses from the boundary region of Yunnan province had showed different relationship of genetic evolution. The substitution or mutation of key amino acids sites had been found among the domains of epitope, adamantane-resistance, and poultry or human original viral strains.

CONCLUSIONThe M2 genes of H5N1 subtype viruses in boundary region of Yunnan province from 2008 to 2012 showed genetic divergence and the virus of clade 1.2.2 had become dominant epidemic strain in this region.

Animals ; Birds ; virology ; Chickens ; virology ; China ; Evolution, Molecular ; Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype ; classification ; genetics ; Influenza in Birds ; virology ; Phylogeny ; Poultry ; virology ; Viral Matrix Proteins ; genetics