Objective To construct a recombinant plasmid pGEX-TSO45W-4B-TSOL18 of Taenia solium,to obtain purified recombinant protein TSO45W-4B-TSOL18 and to prepare rabbit antiserum against the recombinant fusion protein.Methods TSO45W-4B and TSOL18 encoding genes were connected with hydrophobic (Gly4Ser)3 linker.TSO45W-4B-TSOL18 fusion gene was synthesized and cloned into an expression vector pGEX-1λT to construct a recombinant plasmid pGEX-TSO45W-4B-TSOL18.The positive recombinants were transformed into Escherichia(E.) coli ArcticExpress (DE3),and the expression of recombinant protein was induced with isopropylβ-D-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) and analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gelelectrophoresis (SDS-PAGE).The expressed recombinant fusion protein was purified through affinity chromatography.The purified recombinant protein was mixed with complete Freunds adjuvant at a dosage of 0.5 mg.Rabbit was intramuscularly and subcutaneously immunized in the hind leg and the back,respectively.After 2 weeks the rabbit was boosted with purified recombinant protein which was mixed with incomplete Freunds adjuvant at the same dosage.Rabbit can be boosted every 10 days until an adequate response was achieved.At the 6th day after the last immunization,blood was collected from the rabbit heart.Serum was separated to purify and prepare the antiserum.ELISA was applied to determine the titer of the antiserum and Western blot assay was used to determine the specificity of the antiserum.Results The size of the synthesized fusion gene TSO45W-4B-TSOL18 was 789 bp.The results of restriction enzyme digestion showed that the recombinant plasmid pGEX-TSO45W-4B-TSOL18 was successfully constructed.DNA sequencing showed that the size of the fusion gene TSO45W-4B-TSOL18 was 789 bp,which was consistent with expected result.As demonstrated by SDS-PAGE,relative molecular mass of the expressed recombinant fusion protein was approximately 55 × 103,and its purity was 85％ after purification with affinity chromatography.Titer of the antiserum against the recombinant protein was 1 ∶ 512 000 in ELISA assay and the specific rabbit antiserum against the purified recombinant protein TSO45W-4B-TSOL18 could specifically bind to the recombinant fusion protein in Western blot assay.The relative molecular mass of the specific band was about 55 × 103,which was consistent with expected size.Conclusions The recombinant plasmid pGEX-TSO45W-4BTSOL18 of Taenia solium is successfully constructed.High quality recombinant fusion protein TSO45W-4B-TSOL18 and high titer rabbit antiserum are successfully prepared.

OBJECTIVETo detect target genes for further study by way of analyzing the gene expression profiles of benzene poisoning by using cDNA microarray.

METHODSPeripheral mononuclear cells were isolated from seven patients with benzene poisoning of different degrees, and sevene age-and sex-matched normal subjects. Total RNA was extracted and purified, followed by revese transcription to cDNAs with concomitant incorporation of fluorescent dCTP (Cy3 or Cy5). The cDNAs were used as probes in microarray of 2780 cloned cDNA. Fluorescent signals were scanned to detect genes differentially expressed in patients and normal subjects.

RESULTSAmong 7 pieces of cDNA microarray of 2780 tumour related genes, the expression of 16 genes, such as GRO1, TGFBR3, LYN ctc was upregulated, whereas the expression of 28 genes, such as FOSB, DJ-1, MCT-1 etc was down-regulated.

CONCLUSIONAbnormal expression of tumour related genes of patients exposed to benzene suggests that they may be the key genes, which play important role in benzene-induced leucocythemia. cDNA microarray technique is useful to indicate the expression mode of benzene poisoning tumour related genes, and to find rapidly and effectively new research object and the way of gene therapy.

Benzene ; poisoning ; Case-Control Studies ; DNA, Complementary ; Female ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; Oncogenes ; genetics ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; Transcriptome

Clinical reports on cardiac syndrome X (CSX) have been increasing in recent years. In general, CSX does not increase the cardiovascular mortality, but it can affect the patient's quality of life (QOL) and increase the incidence rates of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. Although a variety of drugs and therapies have been utilized in the clinical treatment, the management of CSX still represents a major challenge due to its unclear pathogenesis. It is necessary to explore more effective treatment programs. Many attempts have been made on trials of the Chinese medicine (CM) treatment for CSX and proved that CM has a certain advantage in efficacy to improve clinical symptoms and QOL. CM may provide a new approach for the effective treatment of CSX.
Humans ; Integrative Medicine ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Metabolic Syndrome ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Quality of Life

OBJECTIVETo investigate the alkaloids from the stem of Artabotrys hainanensis.

METHODCompounds in plant extracts were separated by silica gel and sephadex LH-20 column chromatography. Chemical structures were elucidated by chemical and spectral analyses including UV, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, ESIMS and ESI-MS-MS.

RESULTEight alkaloids were isolated and identified as spinosine (1), 3-hydroxynornuciferine (2), juzirine (3), artabotrine (4), liridine (5), assimilobine (6), isococlaurine (7), N-demethylarmepavine (8).

CONCLUSIONAll alkaloids were isolated from this plant for the first time and compounds 1, 3, 7 and 8 were isolated from genus Artabotrys for the first time.

Alkaloids ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Annonaceae ; chemistry ; Berberine Alkaloids ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Isoquinolines ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Plant Leaves ; chemistry ; Plant Stems ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry

OBJECTIVETo look for the active fraction of ethanol extract of Genkwa Flos (EGF) induced hepatotoxicity and develop an UPLC fingerprint of the active fraction.

METHODTarget fraction of EGF induced hepatotoxicity was guided by the serum biochemical and histopathology methods. The UPLC method was applied to establish the chromatographic fingerprint. The separation was achieved on a BEH C18 column (2.1 mm x 50 mm, 1.7 microm) with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and water containing 0.05% phosphate acid running gradient elution. The detection was carried out at 210 nm and the analysis was finished within 10 min.

RESULTThe chloroform phase of EGF could be responsible for the hepatotoxicity of this herb. The common mode of the UPLC fingerprint was set up under the established condition. There were 17 common peaks in fourteen batches of herbs, eight of which were identified, and the similar degrees of the fourteen batches to the common mode were between 0.890-0.999.

CONCLUSIONIt is easy to locate the chloroform extraction of EGF with hepatotoxicity. And the UPLC fingerprint was developed for the above fraction, which could provide valuable references for safe and effective clinical use of EGF.

Animals ; Asteraceae ; chemistry ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; analysis ; toxicity ; Flowers ; chemistry ; Humans ; Liver ; drug effects ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

Previous studies have shown that spinosin was implicated in the modulation of sedation and hypnosis, while its effects on learning and memory deficits were rarely reported. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of spinosin on the improvement of cognitive impairment in model mice with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) induced by Aβ1–42 and determine the underlying mechanism. Spontaneous locomotion assessment and Morris water maze test were performed to investigate the impact of spinosin on behavioral activities, and the pathological changes were assayed by biochemical analyses and histological assay. After 7 days of intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration of spinosin (100 µg/kg/day), the cognitive impairment of mice induced by Aβ1–42 was significantly attenuated. Moreover, spinosin treatment effectively decreased the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) and Aβ1–42 accumulation in hippocampus. Aβ1–42 induced alterations in the expression of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), as well as inflammatory response in brain were also reversed by spinosin treatment. These results indicated that the ameliorating effect of spinosin on cognitive impairment might be mediated through the regulation of oxidative stress, inflammatory process, apoptotic program and neurotrophic factor expression, suggesting that spinosin might be beneficial to treat learning and memory deficits in patients with AD via multi-targets.
Alzheimer Disease* ; Animals ; B-Lymphocytes ; Brain ; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor ; Cognition Disorders ; Hippocampus ; Humans ; Hypnosis ; Learning* ; Locomotion ; Malondialdehyde ; Memory Disorders ; Memory* ; Mice* ; Neuroprotection ; Neuroprotective Agents* ; Oxidative Stress ; Water

Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating ; administration & dosage ; Child ; Humans ; Intravitreal Injections ; Male ; Melphalan ; administration & dosage ; Neoplasm Seeding ; Retinal Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Retinoblastoma ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Vitreous Body ; pathology

To clarify the pathogenesis of Duck enteritis virus (DEV), the cDNA library of duck's liver infected by DEV and a bait plasmid containing DEV nucleocapsid protein (NP) gene were constructed, then the receptor was screened from the cDNA library plasmid by the yeast two-hybrid system and verified by GST pull-down test. The results showed that the capacity of the primary cDNA library was 1 x 106 CFU with insertion size from 0.5 to 1 kb, and the bait plasmid of pGBKT7-NP showed no self-activation. The receptor reacting with DEV NP in duck liver was initially confirmed as the protein kinase C inhibitor (PKCI). These results provide new clues for further investigation on pathogenesis of DEV.
Alphaherpesvirinae ; pathogenicity ; Animals ; Ducks ; virology ; Gene Library ; Liver ; virology ; Nucleocapsid Proteins ; genetics ; Plasmids ; Receptors, Virus ; analysis ; Two-Hybrid System Techniques

To further explore the mechanism of congenital pyrimidine 5'-nuleotidase I (P5'N-I) deficiency, on the basis of purification of the protein, the molecular weight and amino acid composition were analysed by mass-spectrograph and amino-acid analyzer, microsequencing and bioinformation analysis of P5'N-I were performed after it was hydrolysed by trypsin. The results showed that three fractions were found in the purified P5'N-I and their molecular weights were 26,952.9, 55,476 and 110,938, respectively. The sequence from one of the peptide fragments was I-E-G-P-T-I-R-Q-I-E. The homologous sequence was not found after comparision with the ten-amino-acid sequence in GenBank by blast procedure. Amino acid analysis indicated that P5'N-I was composed of 18 amino acids at least, and 243 amino acid residues. In conclusion, the enzyme might be an allosteric enzyme, there might be homologous dimer or tetramer in physiological status of normal human erythrocyte, the microsequence could be designed as the probe for fishing the genes of interest. The composition of amino acid might be an important information in determination of its protein primary structure.
5'-Nucleotidase ; blood ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Amino Acid Sequence ; Amino Acids ; analysis ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Erythrocytes ; enzymology ; Humans ; Mass Spectrometry ; Molecular Weight ; Peptide Fragments ; chemistry ; Sequence Analysis, Protein

BACKGROUNDAppropriate antimicrobial therapy of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is mainly based on the distribution of etiology and antimicrobial resistance of major pathogens. We performed a prospective observational study of adult with CAP in 36 hospitals in China.

METHODSEtiological pathogens were isolated in each of the centers, and all of the isolated pathogens were sent to Zhongshan Hospital for antimicrobial susceptibility tests using agar dilution.

RESULTSA total of 593 patients were enrolled in this study, and 242 strains of bacteria were isolated from 225 patients. Streptococcus pneumoniae (79/242, 32.6%) was the most frequently isolated pathogen, followed by Haemophilus influenzae (55/242, 22.7%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (25/242, 10.3%). Totally 527 patients underwent serological tests for atypical pathogens; Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydia pneumoniae infections were identified in 205 (38.9%) and 60 (11.4%) patients respectively. Legionella pneumophila infections were identified in 4.0% (13/324) of patients. The non-susceptibility rate of isolated Streptococcus pneumoniae to erythromycin and penicillin was 63.2% and 19.1% respectively. Six patients died from the disease, the 30-day mortality rate was 1.1% (6/533).

CONCLUSIONSThe top three bacteria responsible for CAP in Chinese adults were Streptococcus pneumonia, Haemophilus influenza and Klebsiella pneumonia. There was also a high prevalence of atypical pathogens and mixed pathogens. The resistance rates of the major isolated pathogens were relatively low except for the high prevalence of macrolide resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Bacteria ; drug effects ; isolation & purification ; pathogenicity ; China ; epidemiology ; Colony Count, Microbial ; Community-Acquired Infections ; drug therapy ; etiology ; microbiology ; mortality ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Middle Aged ; Pneumonia, Bacterial ; drug therapy ; etiology ; microbiology ; mortality ; Prospective Studies