Objective To construct the nucleic acid vaccine(DNA vaccine) plasmid of the gag gene of the prevalent HIV-1 strains in China so as to develop a therapeutic AIDS vaccine against the HIV-1 strains, and to investigate the immune responses induced by HIV-1 DNA vaccine in mice. Methods The recombinant expression vector pCI-neo GAG was constructed by inserting HIV gag gene into the eukaryotic expression vector pCI-neo, which was identified by restrictive enzymes (Xba Ⅰ/Sal Ⅰ) digestion analysis and DNA sequencing. Balb/c mice were immunized with pCI-neo GAG or pCI-neo. Their sera were collected for the assay of the titer of anti-HIV antibody and IFN-? level by ELISA, and their splenic cells were isolated for detecting antigen-specific lymphoproliferative responses and specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte(CTL) response by MTT assay and LDH assay, respectively. Results Restrictive enzymes digestion analysis and DNA sequencing results revealed that the recombinant expression vector pCI-neo GAG had been constructed successfully. Both the anti-HIV antibody titer and the IFN-? level of mice immunized with the pCI-neo GAG were higher than those of mice immunized with pCI-neo (P

Objective To explore the relationship between serum cytokines and liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B(CHB), and to discuss their role in the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis. Methods ELISA and RIA techniques were used to detect the levels of transforming growth factor-?1( TGF-?1),tumor necrosis factor-?(TNF-?), Interferon -?(IFN-?), hyaline acid (HA), type III procollagen (PC Ⅲ) and collagen type Ⅳ(C-Ⅳ) in 95 patients with CHB, and contrast study were performed between those serum markers and hepatic pathology. Results The levels of serum TGF-?1, TNF-?, HA, PCⅢ and C-Ⅳ in the patients with CHB were significantly higher than those in normal control group (NC), and were correlated with degree of liver damage positively. Serum levels of TGF-?1, TNF-?, HA, PCⅢ and C-Ⅳ were positive proportion to degree of liver fibrosis (P

Objective To explore the effect of the superantigens staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA) and staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) on the level and positive sero-conversion rate of anti-HBs antibody induced by HBsAg. Methods Sixty BABL/C mice were randomly divided into 5 groups. The mice in group 1 were administered 4?g recombinant HBsAg by subcutaneous injection in the groin once a week for three weeks. The manner of HBsAg administration in the other four groups was the same as that in group 1. One day after the first administration, the mice were administered 25?g SEA (group 2) or 25?g SEB (group 3) by subcutaneous injection in contralateral groin. In the second week after the first administration, the mice were administered 25?g SEA (group 4) or 25?g SEB (group 5) by subcutaneous injection in contralateral groin when HBsAg were given. Serum levels of anti-HBs antibody in the five groups were measured once a week until the end of experiment using ELISA. Results On the third week, the positive sero-conversion rate and serum level of anti-HBs in group 1 were 41.7% and 0.758?0.126, respectively. At the same time, the anti-HBs sero-conversion rate in the group 2 and group 4 was 100%, and there was significant difference in the anti-HBs level compared with group 1(P0.05). Conclusion SEA could remarkably elevate the level and positive sero-conversion rate of anti-HBs after injection of HBsAg, and significantly enhance the humoral immune response induced by HBsAg in mice.

Objective To analyze the epidemiological,clinical and histopathological characteristics of cutaneous leishmaniasis.Methods This study included six patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis diagnosed in the Institute of Dermatology,Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College,over the past 10 years.The epidemiological features as well as clinical and histopathologic presentations of these patients were analyzed retrospectively.Results All of the six patients were male.The mean age at onset of skin eruptions was 47.67 (range:37-67) years,and the mean duration of disease was 10 (range:6-18) months.Clinical presentations included erythema,nodules and ulcers in the face and limbs.Skin biopsy revealed infection-associated granulomatous inflammation with many amastigotes (basophilic bodies) in the cytoplasm of histiocytes,which were highlighted with Giemsa stain.All the patients had a history of working at or travel to epidemic areas.Conclusion The diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis mainly depends on epidemiological data,clinical manifestation and histopathologic findings.

Objective To investigate the potential effect of cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide(CTAB)separated mannan of cell wall from Candida albicans on the production of IL -6and IL -8in h uman peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMC)induced by lipopoly saccharide(LPS).Methods PBMCs were pretreated with differen t concentrations of CTAB mannan(1.000mg /mL?0.100mg /mL?0.010mg /mL)for 24h.LPS(50?g /mL)was added and co-incubated for 24h.And a t 48h,the supernatants were collected.At 24h and 48h,only the super-natants of stimulated by CTABmannan were collected.LPS(50?g /mL)was the positive control,unstimula ted culture medium the negative control.The con tents of IL -6and IL -8in the supernatants were determined by ELISA.Re-sults At 24h and 48h,no IL -6and IL -8were detected in 3different concentration-CTAB mannan groups.LPS could induce IL -6(478.507?24.876ng /mL),IL -8(529.655?53.279ng /mL).The contents of IL -6and IL -8of negative control were not detectable.In 1.000mg /mL CTAB mannan +LPS group the contents of IL -6were(85.620?16.058ng /mL,P=0.004),IL -8were(123.940?20.319ng /mL,P=0.011).In 0.100mg /mL CTAB mannan +LPS group,IL -6(210.086?27.874ng /mL,P=0.007),IL -8(206.798?31.878ng /mL,P=0.022).In 0.010mg /mL CTAB mannan +LPS grou p,IL -6(201.387?32.396ng /mL,P=0.014),IL -8(203.133?36.012ng /mL,P=0.015).Conclusion CTAB mannan of cell wall from Candida albicans could downregulate the production o f IL -6and IL -8from human peripheral blood mononuclear cells induced by LPS.

A 55-year-old male patient presented with plaques on the face for more than 20 years,and no immunodeficiency diseases were diagnosed.Skin examination showed large areas of pink plaques on the nose,bilateral cheeks and upper oral lips with slight desquamation,verrucous hyperplasia on the dorsal area of the nose,and a bean-sized verrucous protuberance on the tip of the nose.Histopathological examination of the skin lesions revealed pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia in the epidermis and hyphae-like structures in the stratum corneum.Moreover,there was diffuse infiltration of inflammatory cells in the dermis,which mainly included neutrophils,lymphocytes,histiocytes and multinucleated giant cells.Periodic acid-Schiff (PAS)-positive spore-like structures were observed in the multinucleated giant cells.Culture of the lesional tissues on Sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA) medium showed grey-brown villous colonies.Microculture on the potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium yielded dark septate hyphae and pycnidia filled with a large number of spores.Microsphaeropsis arundinis was identified by fungal molecular biological techniques.The patient was diagnosed with cutaneous phaeohyphomycosis caused by Microsphaeropsis arundinis.The patient was treated with CO2 laser for the removal of verrucous protuberance on the tip of the nose,and oral itraconazole capsules at a dose of 200 mg twice a day.After 3-month treatment,the skin lesions subsided and the drug was withdrew.During 6-month follow-up,no relapse occurred.