Many gene therapy protocols can induce antitumor immunity, however, the ex vivo approach restricts their uses. This sutydy intended to induce antitumor immunity by direct transfer of MHC class Ⅱ gene in vivo. Methods: MHC class Ⅱ gene cDNA was introduced directly into two tumors: P815, (a murine weak immunogenic mas-tocytoma) and B16 (a murine nonirnmunogenic melanoma) to observe the survival rate of the mice. Results: Tumori-genicity of P815 was reduced when MHC class Ⅱ gene was introduced directly into tumors in vivo. Further more, most vaccinated mice could survive after second challenge of P815. Co-injection of MHC class Ⅱ and B7 genes in the B16 also resulted in the tumor grow slowly, while the injection of MHC class Ⅱ gene was not enough to induce effective antitumor responses. Conclusion: The results showed the potential applications of direct transfer of MHC class Ⅱ gene in the treatment of tumor.

Objective To study the effect of age on the hemodynamics of common carotid artery. Methods 47 healthy volunteers werestudied. Wall shear stress (WSS) values localized at common carotid artery 2 cm below the bifurcation were calculated with cine phase-contrastMR imaging combined three-dimensional paraboloid (3DP) model. On the spatial distribution, common carotid artery wall was dividedinto 24 equal parts. Calculate the mean WSS in a cardiac cycle on each part, and choose the minimal WSS value. Then the effects of age onthe average WSS and minimal WSS were observed. Results Total 94 common carotid arteries of 47 health volunteers were examined, inwhich 9 carotid arteries in 9 volunteers were excluded because of uninterpretable high-resolution MRI findings or volunteer's intolerance forthe detection. In the remaining 85 common carotid arteries, the average WSS and the minimal WSS during a cardiac cycle on the spatial distributionwere (7.45±2.12) dyne/cm2 and (5.98±1.93) dyne/cm2 respectively. Both average WSS and minimal WSS were negative correlatedwith age (P<0.05). Conclusion With the age increased, mean WSS and minimal WSS on the spatial distribution of common carotid arterydecreased.

BACKGROUND: As the preliminary experiment for gene therapy in intervertebral disc degeneration, this study aims to construct a recombinant plasmid containing fluorescent pAAV-hSOX9-IRES-tdTomato for adeno-associated virus packaging, in a broader attempt to lay the foundation for late experiments in vitro and in vivo.OBJECTIVE: To construct human SOX9 gene overexpressing adeno-associated virus, pAAV-hSOX9-IRES-tdTomato, packaging. METHODS: The plasmid pAAV-IRES-tdTomato and plasmid pUC57-hSOX9 were connected into pAAV-hSOX9-IRES-tdTomato by enzyme digestion method. The adeno-associated virus was packaged with plasmid co-transfections method. The recombinant pAAV-hSOX9-IRES-tdTomato was transfected into 293AAV cell by calcium phosphate transfection. The purification and drop of adeno-associated virus was tested by determination of biological titer. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The results of BLAST sequence comparison analysis showed that, pAAV-hSOX9-IRES-tdTomato exactly matched the synthetic gene sequence hSOX9. The titer is 1×107 TU/mL. Human gene SOX9 recombinant adenoviruses, pAAV-hSOX9-IRES-tdTomato, have been constructed successfully.

The generation of large quantities of novel human T cell clones ex vivo would make a wide range of gene-and immuno-therapies for tumor and AIDS possibly. Although it is well established that T cells are derived from CD34(+) cells, the involvement of thymic fragments from either human or murine fetus makes the in vitro T cell perliferation very cumbersome. In this report, cord blood mononuclear cells were used as accessory cells to support the differentiation of CD34(+) cells into naive T cells stimulated with SCF and IL-2. CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells, under the cultural conditions, were continuously produced in vitro at least over a period of 3 weeks and their ratios changed gradually. CD4/CD8 double positive T cells and RAG-2 gene were existed, and RAG-2 gene, reponsible for TCR rearrangement, was expressed during the cell proliferation. Our study presents a simple culture system in vitro to acquire large quantities of naive T cell clones.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the epidemiological characteristics of human infections with avian influenza A (H7N9) in China and to provide scientific evidence for the adjustment of preventive strategy and control measures.

METHODSDemographic and epidemiologic information on human cases were collected from both reported data of field epidemiological investigation and the reporting system for infectious diseases.

RESULTSA total of 433 cases including 163 deaths were reported in mainland China before June 4, 2014. Two obvious epidemic peaks were noticed, in March to April, 2013 and January to February, 2014. Confirmed cases emerged in 14 areas of China. Five provinces, including Zhejiang, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Shanghai, and Hunan, reported about 85% of the total cases. Median age of the confirmed cases was 58 years (range, 1-91), with 70% as males. Of the 418 cases with available data, 87% had ever exposed to live poultry or contaminated environments. 14 clusters were identified but human to human transmission could not be ruled out in 9 clusters.

CONCLUSIONHuman infections with avian influenza A (H7N9) virus showed the characteristics of obvious seasonal distribution, with certain regional clusters. The majority of confirmed cases were among the elderly, with more males seen than the females. Data showed that main source of infection was live poultry and the live poultry market had played a significant role in the transmission of the virus.

Adaptation, Psychological ; Aged ; Animals ; China ; epidemiology ; Demography ; Environmental Pollution ; Female ; Humans ; Influenza A Virus, H7N9 Subtype ; Influenza, Human ; epidemiology ; prevention & control ; transmission ; Male ; Meat ; Poultry ; Research Design