Objective To develop a portbable incubator for on-site cultivation of microorganisms in foods and drinking water.Methods Cultivation temperature was set as required by the temperature for various microorganisms and PID was controlled via the single chip microcomputer and configuration screen .Then, the framework of the incubator was designed and assembled.Finally, the cultivation effect was tested .Results The incubator was compact and portable .The deviation of the temperature was in the range of 1℃.The hold time of self-contained power could exceed 8 h.In addition, the cultivation effect of our fabricated incubator was not significantly different from that of the commercial electro-heating standing-temperature cultivator used in laboratories .Conclusion The incubator is suitable for on-site detection of microorganisms in foods and drinking water , which is significant for spotting and removing the hidden dangers from microorganism contaminations in foods and drinking water in order to protect the health of soldiers .

BACKGROUNDThe CRF07_BC recombinant strain has been one of the most predominantly circulated HIV-1 strains in China, it is therefore necessary and urgent to develop a relevant animal model to evaluate candidate vaccines targeting HIV-1 CRF07_BC. A highly replication-competent simian/human immunodeficiency viruses (SHIV) construct containing the Chinese CRF07_BC HIV-1 env gene with the ability to infect Chinese rhesus monkeys would serve as an important tool in the development of HIV vaccines. The aim of this study was to examine whether SHIV XJDC6431 with the env fragment from a Chinese HIV-1 isolate virus could infect the human and monkey peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC), establish infection in Chinese rhesus macaque.

METHODSA SHIV strain was constructed by replacing the rev/env genes of SHIV KB9 with the corresponding fragment derived from the HIV-1 CRF07_BC strain. The infectious activity of the SHIV clones was determined in vitro in PBMCs from both non-human primate animals and humans. Finally, one Chinese rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) was infected with one SHIV via intravenous infusion.

RESULTSOne SHIV clone designated as SHIV XJDC6431, was generated that could infect macaque and human PBMC. The virus produced from this clone also efficiently infected the CCR5-expressing GHOST cell lines, indicating that it uses CCR5 as its coreceptor. Finally, the virus was intravenously inoculated into one Chinese rhesus macaque. Eventually, the animal became infected as shown by the occurrence of viremia within 3 of infection. The viral load reached 105 copies of viral RNA per ml of plasma during the acute phase of infection and lasted for 10 weeks post infection.

CONCLUSIONSWe conclude that SHIV XJDC6431 is an R5-tropic chimeric virus, which can establish infection not only in vitro but also in vivo in the Chinese rhesus macaque. Although the animal inoculated with SHIV XJDC6431 became infected without developing a pathologic phenotype, the virus efficiently replicated with a persistent level of viral load in the plasma. This suggested that the SHIV could be used as a tool to test candidate AIDS vaccines targeting the Chinese HIV-1 CRF_07BC recombinant strain.

Animals ; Chimera ; Genes, env ; HIV-1 ; genetics ; physiology ; Humans ; Macaca mulatta ; Proviruses ; genetics ; Receptors, CCR5 ; physiology ; Simian Immunodeficiency Virus ; genetics ; physiology

This study reported the obtainment of the full-length cDNA of Salvia miltiorrhiza hairy roots (Abbr: SmHDR, GenBank number: JX233817), via extracting Salvia miltiorrhiza hairy roots total RNA, designing specific primers according to the transcriptome data and using the RACE strategy, and then analyzed it with bioinformatics approaches. On this basis, using the real-time PCR to detect SmHDR gene expression after Ag+ induction, and testing tanshinones contents of corresponding samples by UPLC. SmHDR has 1 647 nucleotides, and an open reading frame (ORF) encoding a protein of 463 amino acid residues. The deduced protein has isoelectric point (pI) of 5.72 and a calculated molecular weight about 51.88 kD. In the secondary structure, the percentage of alpha helix, beta turn and random coil were 35.64%, 20.30% and 44.06%, respectively. Sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that SmHDR had relative close relationship to the HDR of Picrorhiza kurrooa, similar to HDR from other species of plants. Real time PCR results indicated that elicitor of Ag+ stimulated the increase of mRNA expression of SmHDR. At the same time, results of ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC), used to examine the accumulation of diterpenoid tanshinones in hairy roots, showed that the contents of diterpenoid tanshinones in hairy roots of Salvia miltiorrhiza were increased dramatically at 12 h after treated with Ag+, and then decreased significantly. This result showed a positive correlation between the levels of mRNA expression and tanshinones accumulation in Salvia miltiorrhiza stimulated by Ag+. The content of tanshinones was gradually raised, and it had an obvious increase at 120 h. The bioinformatics analysis and gene expression indicated that SmHDR might be involved in tanshinones biosynthesis, which laid the foundation for further study of secondary metabolic regulation mechanism of tanshinones.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Cloning, Molecular ; DNA, Complementary ; genetics ; Diterpenes, Abietane ; biosynthesis ; metabolism ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Open Reading Frames ; Oxidoreductases ; chemistry ; genetics ; metabolism ; Phylogeny ; Plant Roots ; genetics ; metabolism ; Plants, Medicinal ; genetics ; metabolism ; Protein Structure, Secondary ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism ; Salvia miltiorrhiza ; genetics ; metabolism ; Sequence Alignment ; Silver Nitrate ; pharmacology ; Synthetic Biology

OBJECTIVETo study the expressions of FXR, PPARa and Bile acid metabolism related genes in intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnant rats.

METHODS60 clean SD pregnant rats were selected and divided randomly into three groups. Since the 13th day of pregnancy rats in control group were injected subcutaneously with refined vegetable oil 2.0 mg/kg/d Rats in no-treated group were injected subcutaneously with the 17-a-ethynylestradiol (EE) 1.25 mg/kg/d until the 17th day. Those rat ih treated group were injected subcutaneously with the 17-a-ethynylestradiol (EE) 1.25 mg/kg/d until the 17th day and then were treated with fenofibrate for another four days until the 21th day. All rats were killed at the 21th day and livers were collected for study. The levels of serum TBA were examined by ELISA. The mRNA expressions of PPARa, FXR, CYP7A1, CYP27A1 and CYP8B1 were examined by real-time PCR. (1)

RESULTSThe levels of TBA were significantly higher in no-treated group (68.7+/-4.2)mumol/L and treated group (69.5+/-3.8)mumol/L compared with that of control group (26.6+/-2.3)mumol/L at the 17th day (P value is less than 0.05) and no difference found between treated and no-treated groups (P value is more than 0.05). The levels of TBA were higher in no-treated group (69.4+/-3.7)mumol/L and treated group (48.5+/-4.8)mumol/L as compared to control group (27.1+/-3.2)mumol/L at the 21th day (P value is less than 0.05). The lever of TBA was significantly lower in Treated group compared with No-treated group (P value is less than 0.05). (2) The mRNA expressions of CYP7A1, FXR, CYP27A1 and CYP8B1 increased in No-treated group (1.55+/-0.03, 1.75+/-0.02, 2.45+/-0.01, 2.15+/-0.01, respectively) and were all higher as compared to control group (0.75+/-0.02, 1.25+/-0.03, 0.65+/-0.03, 1.50+/-0.02, respectively) (P value is less than 0.05). However, the mRNA expression of PPARa decreased in No-treated group (0.85+/-0.02) compared with control group (1.45+/-0.02) (P value is less than 0.05). The mRNA expressions of CYP27A1, PPARa and CYP8B1 increased in treated group (1.25+/-0.01, 1.65+/-0.05, 1.65+/-0.02, respectively) and were all higher than that of control group (P value is less than 0.05).

CONCLUSIONAbnormal expressions of CYP7A1, FXR, CYP27A1, CYP8B1 and PPARa may play a role in pathogenesis of estrogen-induced intrahepatic cholestasis. Activator of PPARa may be used as therapeutical drug for ICP.

Animals ; Bile Acids and Salts ; metabolism ; Cholestasis, Intrahepatic ; chemically induced ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cholesterol 7-alpha-Hydroxylase ; metabolism ; Ethinyl Estradiol ; administration & dosage ; Female ; PPAR alpha ; metabolism ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Complications ; chemically induced ; metabolism ; pathology ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear ; genetics

OBJECTIVEChimeric human/bovine immunodeficiency virus (HBIV) cDNA was constructed by replacing HIV tat and LTR with bovine immunodeficiency virus (BIV) tat and LTR to study the activity of BIV tat and LTR in the chimerae.

METHODSThe target fragments of BIV tat, LTR and HIV gag, pol, env were respectively amplified by using PCR and sequentially inserted into pBluescript SK(+) vector. The chimeric clone was transfected into human MT4 cells. The transcript and gene expression of the HBIV chimeric virus were detected by using RT-PCR and a reverse transcriptase assay, respectively.

RESULTSBIV tat mRNA and HIV gag mRNA were detected. The reverse transcriptase activity of the chimeric virus was analyzed in the fluctuation curve.

CONCLUSIONSIn chimeric HBIV cDNA transfected MT?4 cells, BIV tat and HIV gag were transcripted. The reverse transcriptase of the chimeric virus had biological activity. These data suggest that in MT4 cells, BIV LTR had promoter activity and BIV tat had the function of transactivation in the chimeric virus. The study of the chimeric virus with infectivity is in progress.

AIDS Vaccines ; Animals ; Cattle ; Cloning, Molecular ; DNA, Complementary ; genetics ; DNA, Viral ; genetics ; Genes, gag ; genetics ; Genes, pol ; genetics ; Genes, tat ; genetics ; HIV-1 ; genetics ; Humans ; Immunodeficiency Virus, Bovine ; genetics ; Recombinant Fusion Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Transcription, Genetic ; Transcriptional Activation ; Transfection ; Virus Replication

Vpr, an auxiliary protein of HIV-1(Human immunodeficiency virus type 1), exerts important functions to promote viral replication and AIDS progression. In this study, we performed a yeast two-hybrid screening assay using human cDNA library to further investigate the molecular mechanism of various functions of Vpr RelB, a key protein in NF-kappaB signaling pathway, was identified as a Vpr interaction protein by co-immunoprecipitation. Further investigations indicated that RelB not only promoted the Vpr-mediated activation of NF-kappaB reporter gene, but also enhanced the transactivation of HIV LTR. Moreover, the results showed that RelB promoted Vpr-induced cell cycle G2/M arrest. Collectively, these results indicated that RelB might interact with Vpr and regulate its transcriptional activation and cell cycle arrest.
Cell Cycle Checkpoints ; Cell Division ; G2 Phase ; HIV Long Terminal Repeat ; HeLa Cells ; Humans ; NF-kappa B ; genetics ; Transcription Factor RelB ; physiology ; Transcriptional Activation ; vpr Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus ; physiology

OBJECTIVETo explore the association between mortality rate of hepatic carcinoma and the distance from Suihe River in Lingbi county, Suzhou, Anhui province.

METHODSUsing the disease mapping and spatial statistical analysis techniques,we described the spatial distributions of the mortality rate of hepatic carcinoma from 2005 to 2010 in Lingbi county. Taking the distance between villages and polluted rivers as proxy variable of environmental exposure, mortality rate of hepatic carcinoma in each village as dependant variable, and using the Glimmix model and Bayesian spatial model (BYM) to undertake the univariate and multivariate analysis, we investigatived the association between mortality rate of hepatic carcinoma and the water pollution of Suihe River in Lingbi county.

RESULTSObvious clustering of high mortality rate of hepatic carcinoma along the polluted river was observed in Lingbi county. Results of Glimmix model showed that whether spatial autocorrelation was considered or not, closer to the polluted river has higher mortality rate of hepatic carcinoma. Results of univariate analysis of the BYM model showed that, compared with the villages far from the polluted river more than 12 km (the mortality rate of hepatic carcinoma was 33.12/100 000(1068/3 224 562) ), the RR values of the hepatic carcinoma mortality was 1.38(95%CI:1.06-1.82) for the villages apart from the polluted river within 6 km (the mortality rate of hepatic carcinoma was 42.48/100 000(777/1 829 064)), and 1.13 (95%CI:0.92-1.39) for villages apart from the river between 6 and 12 km (the mortality rate of hepatic carcinoma was 35.65/100 000(651/1 825 848)). In the BYM model multivariate analysis, adding the volume of fertilizer and pesticides used per cultivated area, GDP per capita to do multivariate analysis were, the relation between mortality rate of hepatic carcinoma and distance from polluted rivers remains unchanged.

CONCLUSIONThe mortality rate of hepatic carcinoma was associated with the exposure to the polluted river in Lingbi county. The polluted river may increase the hepatic carcinoma mortality of nearby residents.

Bayes Theorem ; China ; epidemiology ; Environmental Exposure ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; epidemiology ; mortality ; Male ; Rivers ; Spatial Analysis ; Water Pollution

OBJECTIVETo investigate the aberrant methylation of fragile histidine triad (FHIT) gene and to explore possible relationship between the aberrant methylation of FHIT and clinicopathological features in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

METHODSThe hypermethylation of FHIT was detected by the methylation specific PCR (MSP) method in 45 patients with HCC (tumoral and nontumoral tissue), 14 cases of normal livers and 4 HCC cell lines (SK-Hep-1, Hep-G2, Hep-3B and Huh7). The correlation of FHIT methylation and clinicopathological features was analyzed.

RESULTSThe frequencies of hypermethylation of FHIT in tumoral and nontumoral tissue, normal liver and cell lines were 71.1%, 64.4%, 14.3% and 75.0%, respectively. A significant relation between hypermethylation of FHIT and poor survival was present (P = 0.0430).

CONCLUSIONSHypermethylation of FHIT is a frequent and early event in HCC, it might relate to a poor prognosis for patients with HCC.

Acid Anhydride Hydrolases ; genetics ; Adult ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; genetics ; pathology ; surgery ; DNA Methylation ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; genetics ; pathology ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Proteins ; genetics ; Prognosis

Objective To analyze the status of health literacy and its relationship with chronic diseases and self-reported health among residents in Qingdao, discuss the influence of health literacy on health status and provide the scientific basis for the development of health education strategies and measures. Methods The stratified multistage and probability proportionate to population size sampling(PPS sampling) method was adopted in this investigation. In 2017, a questionnaire survey was conducted among 16 700 permanent residents aged 15-69 from 10 districts in Qingdao. Results The overall level of health literacy status was 15.92%, the prevalence rate of chronic diseases was 19.31%, the self-reported health proportion of good, fair and poor were 81.68%, 12.12% and 1.71% among residents in Qingdao. Logistic regression analysis showed that, after adjusting for urban and rural areas, gender, age, education, income and occupation, health literacy was a protective factor for people with chronic diseases and self-evaluated health(OR=1.232，P=0.003;OR=1.159，P=0.033). Three aspects of health literacy were correlated with chronic diseases and self-reported health among people (all P<0.05). Conclusions Health literacy is positively correlated with the health status of residents. The improvement of health literacy is an important way to enhance the health status of residents.

Objective: To observe the clinical efficacy of auricular point pricking-bloodletting plus auricular point sticking therapy for acne vulgaris. Methods: A total of 66 patients with acne vulgaris were randomized into an observation group and a control group by the random number table, with 33 cases in each group. The observation group was treated with auricular point pricking-bloodletting plus auricular point sticking therapy, and the control group was treated only with auricular point sticking therapy. The treatments of both groups were performed twice a week, 4 weeks as a course of treatment, for 3 courses in total. The scores of skin lesions and dermatology life quality index (DLQI) scores were recorded before and after treatment to assess the clinical efficacy. Results: During the trial, there were 3 cases of drop-out both in the observation group and the control group. After 3 courses of treatment, the total effective rate of the observation group was 96.7％, while that of the control group was 76.7％. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P<0.05). The intra-group comparison showed that the scores of skin lesion and DLQI were both decreased with the increase of treatment times, that was, the scores were lower than those at the previous time point (allP<0.05). After 1, 2, and 3 courses of treatment, the scores of skin lesion and DLQI of both groups were statistically different from those of the same group before treatment (allP<0.05). At every time point during the treatment, the scores of skin lesion and DLQI of the observation group were lower than those of the control group, and the differences between the two groups were statistically significant (all P<0.05). Conclusion: Auricular point pricking-bloodletting plus auricular point sticking has a better curative effect than auricular point sticking therapy alone in the treatment of acne vulgaris, and has a time-effect correlation.