OBJECTIVETo improve the rapid propagation system of Pinellia ternata.

METHODDocumentaries at home and abroad were consulted.

RESULTThe tissue culture's conditions and research results of P. ternata were summarized.

CONCLUSIONAdvanced research on the structure of calli and litter tubercle should be made. Traditional rapid propagation system may be improved from the following aspects: the best cooperation of hormones, the most active ex-plant, one time culture and suitable transplant.

Culture Media ; Culture Techniques ; Lighting ; Pinellia ; growth & development ; Plant Growth Regulators ; pharmacology ; Plants, Medicinal ; growth & development ; Temperature

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the feasibility and the therapeutic effect of orthognathic surgical procedures combined distraction osteogenesis and scapular flap for correction of progressive hemifacial atrophy.

METHODS5 cases with progressive hemifacial atrophy were treated. 1 mild case was treated with microsurgical de-epithelia scapular flap (MDSF) and genioplasty in one stage. The 2 moderate cases were treated with Le Fort 1 osteotomy following by sagittal split ramus osteotomy and genioplasty at the first stage. 3 - 6 months later, the MDSFs were used for augmentation. 2 sever cases were treated with bimaxillary distraction osteogenesis on the affected side. 3 - 4 months later, the distraction devices were removed and MDSFs were transplanted.

RESULTSThe facial asymmetry was obviously improved. The orthognathic procedures and distraction osteogenesis achieved good therapeutic effect. All the MDSFs were survived.

CONCLUSIONSThe progressive hemifacial atrophy can result in very severe deformity when it occurs in very young age. The combined deformity of bone and soft tissue can be effectively corrected by orthognathic procedures combined with distraction osteogenesis and scapular flap transplantation.

Adolescent ; Facial Hemiatrophy ; surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Osteogenesis, Distraction ; Skin Transplantation ; Surgical Flaps

OBJECTIVETo study the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status through heterosexual transmission in Yining city and to provide information on effective intervention measures.

METHODSCohort of HIV sero-discordant couples identified from 1997 to 2000 was formed. Proportional risk model was used to analyze the time of HIV sero-conversion and the related factors. All the recruiters were under informed consent.

RESULTSThrough following on 22 sero-discordant couples, we found that the incidence density (ID) of HIV sero-conversion was 32.49/100 person-year (PY) with 33.74/100 PY for women. In the proportional hazard model, the course of sero-conversion was only 2.43 years and the frequency of sexual contact was statistically significant (>or= 3 times/week vs. < 3 time/week: RR = 1.984, 95% CI: 1.045 - 3.767), indicating this factor was related to the hazard of HIV sero-conversion. However, the viral load of HIV infections has no such effect on HIV sero-conversion of their spouses. In addition, the ratio of CD4(+)/CD8(+) was lower in spouses of HIV sero-conversion than that in spouses of HIV non-sero conversion (t test: t = 4.77, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONIn order to control HIV transmission among general population, we suggested that HIV/AIDS counseling and testing be developed for pre-marital people in the region with high HIV prevalence.

Blotting, Western ; China ; epidemiology ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; HIV ; immunology ; HIV Infections ; epidemiology ; immunology ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Sexual Behavior ; Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Viral ; epidemiology ; immunology

BACKGROUNDLive attenuated hepatitis A vaccine (H2 strain) is widely applied in prevention of hepatitis A epidemic in China and other countries now. It is essential to observe and confirm the vaccine immune efficacy, population antibody level and its persistent efficacy after mass immunization.

METHODSA total of 220 children with negative anti-HAV antibody (aged 1 - 3 years) were taken for follow-up assay to observe seroconversion and geometric mean titre (GMT) level 2 months, 12 months, 6 years, and 10 years after inoculation. Another survey sampled from subjects of different age groups (3, 6, 9, 15, 18, 25 and 35 years) to compare anti-HA antibody positive rate before and after inoculation performed 10 years previously. Epidemiological observations were taken for 10 years to evaluate the relationship between vaccine coverage and hepatitis A morbidity. Serum antibody to HAV was detected by enzyme linked immunoassay (ELISA, calibrated by WHO international reference) and ABBOTT Axsym HAVAB microparticle enzyme immunoassay.

RESULTSSeroconversion in follow-up assay 2 months and 10 years after inoculation was 98.6% and 80.2% respectively. For children, the vaccination anti-HA antibody positive rates were significantly different before and after 10 years, 7.69% cf 70.45% (aged 3 years) and 52.58% cf 71.78% (aged 18 years). When vaccine coverage rose from 57% to 74%, there were no any HA epidemics. When vaccine coverage reached 85%, there were no any HA cases. With vaccine coverage between 85% and 91%, there were no any HA cases in cohorts from the age of 1 year to 15 years during the 10 years.

CONCLUSIONSLive attenuated hepatitis A vaccine has an obvious long-term effectiveness in prevention and control of HA epidemics through mass vaccination.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hepatitis A ; prevention & control ; Hepatitis A Vaccines ; immunology ; Hepatitis Antibodies ; blood ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; blood ; Mass Vaccination ; Vaccines, Attenuated ; immunology

Objective To evaluate the long-term immunogencity and effectiveness of live attenuated hepatitis A (HA) vaccine (H2 strain) after one dose injection, through a 15 years' follow up observation. Methods A total of 220 children with negative anti-HAV antibody (aged 1-3 y)were involved and followed up in Jiaojiang district, Taizhou city, Zhejiang province. Indicators would include seroconversion and geometric meantiter(GMT) levels after inoculation the vaccine with single dose at 2 m, 12 m, 6 years, 10 years and 15 years. Epidemiological observation was carried out within the 15 years to evaluate the relationship between vaccine coverage, the incidence of HA and the overall effectiveness. In the studied population, serum was tested by ELISA(calibrated by WHO international reference) and ABBOTT Axsym HAVAB mEIA. Results Seroconversion rates were found to be 98.6% and 81.3% after 2 months and 15 years of inoculation and slowly decreased. GMT level was 128 mIU/ml after 15 years, significantly higher than the required protective level of 20 mIU/ml,recommended by WHO experts. Effectiveness through the 15-year follow up program showed a significant correlation between vaccine coverage and incidence of HA in 1-15 years aged group (Kendall-Rank test, t =-0.931, P＜0.01). There was no HA case seen among the observed accumulated 236 413 person-year vaccines, compared to 4 HA cases discovered in the 27 206 personyear of the non-vaccinees. The overall protective rate reached 100%. Through a mass vaccination program on children, the whole population established an immune-defence to enable the incidence of HA decreased by 96.7%. Conclusion The long-term immunogencity and effectiveness of live attenuated hepatitis A vaccine (H2 strain) after one dose injection could last as long as 15 years.

BACKGROUNDRapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD) may be a risk factor for cognitive impairment in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). However, little is known regarding the relation between the severity of RBD and the different domains of cognitive impairment. The aim of this study was: (1) to investigate the domains of cognitive impairment in patients with PD and RBD, and (2) to explore risk factors for PD-mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI) and the relationship between RBD severity and impairment in different cognitive domains in PD.

METHODSThe participants were grouped as follows: PD without RBD (PD-RBD; n = 42), PD with RBD (PD + RBD; n = 32), idiopathic RBD (iRBD; n = 15), and healthy controls (HCs; n = 36). All participants completed a battery of neuropsychological assessment of attention and working memory, executive function, language, memory, and visuospatial function. The information of basic demographics, diseases and medication history, and motor and nonmotor manifestations was obtained and compared between PD-RBD and PD + RBD groups. Particular attention was paid to the severity of RBD assessed by the RBD Questionnaire-Hong Kong (RBDQ-HK) and the RBD Screening Questionnaire (RBDSQ), then we further examined associations between the severity of RBD symptoms and cognitive levels via correlation analysis.

RESULTSCompared to PD-RBD subjects, PD + RBD patients were more likely to have olfactory dysfunction and their Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores were higher (P < 0.05). During neuropsychological testing, PD + RBD patients performed worse than PD-RBD patients, including delayed memory function, especially. The MCI rates were 33%, 63%, 33%, and 8% for PD-RBD, PD + RBD, iRBD, and HC groups, respectively. RBD was an important factor for the PD-MCI variance (odds ratio = 5.204, P = 0.018). During correlation analysis, higher RBDSQ and RBDQ-HK scores were significantly associated with poorer performance on the Trail Making Test-B (errors) and Auditory Verbal Learning Test (delayed recall) and higher RBD-HK scores were also associated with Rey-Osterrieth complex figure (copy) results.

CONCLUSIONSWhen PD-RBD and PD + RBD patients have equivalent motor symptoms, PD + RBD patients still have more olfactory dysfunction and worse daytime somnolence. RBD is an important risk factor for MCI, including delayed memory. Deficits in executive function, verbal delayed memory, and visuospatial function were consistently associated with more severe RBD symptoms.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Cognitive Dysfunction ; etiology ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Middle Aged ; Parkinson Disease ; complications ; REM Sleep Behavior Disorder ; complications

Objective To understand the health status and potential impact resulted in the second stage of Three Gorges Reservoir Areas sluicing. Methods Data were collected on deaths, prevalence rates of infectious and endemic diseases, as well as on vector surveillance through the project entitled 'Three Gorges Population Health Survey System'. Results The main causes of death in the population living in the Three Gorges Reservoir Areas would include: circulatory system diseases, tumors, respiratory system diseases, injuries/poison and digestive system diseases. The number of deaths caused by the above said five kind of diseases accounted for 90.94% of the total number of deaths. The prevalence rates on Water-born diseases related to the sluicing of reservoir and zoonosis-bome diseases related to the changes of vectors were still low. The indoor and outdoor densities of rodents were 3.11% and 3.16%, both were higher than that in 2006 but lower than the average numbers in the five years prior to the sluicing. The constituent ratio of Apodemus agrarius had constantly risen since 2006. The density of mosquitoes found in livestock barns and human households was higher than that in 2006 but lower than the average number of the five-year studies prior to the sluicing. Conclusion Environment change after the sluicing of the Three Gorges Reservoir Areas did not seem to have obvious impact on the health status of the people living in the areas. However, to strengthen the surveillance on the biological features of the vectors which might have related to the transmission of diseases would be highly recommended.

Objective To evaluate the impact on the health status of population in the area where the ‘Three Gorges Reservoir Water Storage Project' had been operated and to provide references for the development of related disease control strategies.Methods In the Three Gorges Reservoir Area,17 towns/streets in nine counties were chosen as surveillance points.Data on surveillance program would include infectious diseases,birth,death,biological agents etc.Methods related to time and spatial analysis and the comparison on pre- and post- water storage were used to analyze and describe the long-term changing trend of meteorological index,distribution of biological agent and diseases,and human health status.Relationships between number of infectious diseases and media biological density and meteorological parameters were also analyzed.Results When the water storage program came into being in 2003,the indoor (2.22％) and outdoor (2.76％) densities of rats were significantly lower than pre-water storage period (indoor 4.38％ vs.outdoor 4.43％) and the annual average density of mosquito (35.09 mosquitoes per room and per hour) was also lower than before (54.24 mosquitoes per room and per hour).The incidence rates of encephalitis B,malaria,leptospirosis,and hemorrhagic fever had reduces 22.88％,84.85％,95.03％ and 81.82％ than before.The incidence rates of malaria,leptospirosis,and hemorrhagic fever were all below 0.4/100 000 and the incidence of encephalitis B was below 2/100 000.The average infant mortality was 11.83‰.The annual infant mortalities,after adjusted by missing report numbers,were between 13.07‰ and 23.88‰ which were lower than the national annual average level.The thirteen year standard mortalities were 3.77‰-5.12‰,with the total rate lower than the national average level in the same years.Conclusion In 2003,the incidence rates of malaria,encephalitis B,leptospirosis,epidemic hemorrhagic fever kept going down in the surveillance sites in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area,and the overall population's health status was well enough to show that there was no negative impact on the health status of population living in the area after the water storage project was inplemented.

OBJECTIVETo ascertain the causation of a family cluster involving two undefined pneumonia cases, a 12-year-old girl and her brother, reported October, 2005 in Xiangtan county, Hunan province.

METHODSInformation on epidemiology and clinical manifestation of the cases was collected from interviewing the keyman and referring to related medical records. The environment exposure of the cases to their households and the timeline of the illness were reproduced, using this information. Medical check-up was undergone among the close contacts of the cases and on sick/dead poultry. Throat swab of the cases were collected and tested by both RT-PCR and real-time PCR to detect viral nucleic acids of A/H5N1, and were then inoculated into special pathogen free (SPF) embryonated hens' eggs. Serum of the cases including acute and convalescent phases were also collected and tested by microneutralization and haemagglutination-inhibition (HI) assays to detect H5-specific antibodies.

RESULTSBoth the girl and her brother developed fever 2 and 4 days after sudden deaths of chickens being raised in the same house. Both of them had developed pneumonia and the girl died from acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) complicated with multi-organ failure. The boy survived and subsequently discharged from hospital. An eighth-day serum from the girl tested H5 antibody negative, while 4-fold and greater increased in antibody titers were detected in serum from the boy using microneutralization and HI assays in sequential acute and convalescent sera. Of 192 cases, only one doctor who cared for the girl during hospitalization had upper respiratory symptoms but tested negative for H5N1 by microneutralization assay.

CONCLUSIONThe boy was the first confirmed human case of avian influenza A (H5N1) in the mainland of China and his sister was diagnosed clinically. The most probable explanation of these two cases was that the transmission of H5N1 virus from infected poultry within the same household environment. No evidence of human-to-human transmission was noted in the family cluster.

Animals ; Chickens ; Child ; China ; Fatal Outcome ; Female ; Humans ; Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype ; immunology ; isolation & purification ; Influenza in Birds ; transmission ; Influenza, Human ; complications ; diagnosis ; transmission ; Male ; Pneumonia ; virology ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult ; virology

Objective To develop a new type of combined bone grafts mainly including nanometer hydroxyapatite (n-HA) and α-calcium sulphate hemihydrate (α-CSH), and investigate its setting property and compressive strength. Methods The setting time and compressive strength of nHA/α-CSH combined bone grafts with different liquid-to-solid (L/S) ratio or calcium sulphate dehydrate (CSD) amount were measured and observed by the X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the scanning electron microscope (SEM). Results The setting time of combined bone grafts was increased along with the increase of L/S ratio or nHA amount, and reduced with the increase of CSD amount. The setting time of the compound with 20% of nHA, 80% of α-CSH was (169±36) min, while that of the compound with 5% of nHA, 20% of CSD, 75% of α-CSH was (6±1.1) min. The compressive strength of combined bone grafts reduced along with the increase of nHA amount. The average compressive strength of pure α-CSH was (12.3±2.4) MPa, while that of the compound with 20% of nHA, 80% of CSH was (4.8±0.6) MPa. The XRD results showed that no other materials were produced except that α-CSH was transformed to CSD during the setting process. The SEM results indicated that nHA was filled in the crystal structure of the CSD, presenting two-phase structure. Conclusions The setting time and compressive strength of nHA/α-CSH combined bone grafts can be adjusted by the different proportion of nHA, CSD amount and L/S ratio, which provides an appropriate condition for clinical application.