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Mediation analysis is mainly used to explore the causal mechanism between independent variable X and dependent variable Y. It determines whether mediator M plays a role and evaluate the role’s degree in the causal path by decomposing the causal path between the independent variable X and the dependent variable Y. However, the classical mediation analysis is generally used for single mediator. This paper introduces a new mediation analysis method for multiple mediators.
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<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the prevalence of serum antibodies against Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) in bats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Blood samples from the heart were obtained from bats captured in Guangdong and Hainan Provinces in 2013. The anti-JEV antibodies in bat sera were tested using indirect ELISA and virus neutralization test.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A total of 201 bat serum samples were tested, in which the total positivity rate of anti-JEV antibodies was 46.27% (93/201). The positive rate of anti-JEV antibodies in bats from Hainan and Guangdong Provinces was 88.89% (48/54) and 30.61% (45/147), respectively. All the samples from Rousettus leschenaultia, Miniopterus schreibersii, Pipistrellus abramus, and Rhinolophus macrotis were positive for anti-JEV antibodies, and up to 95.56% (43/45) of the samples from Miniopterus schreibersii (from Hainan Province) yielded positive results. Of the 28 samples with positive results by indirect ELISA, 15 showed positive results in virus neutralization test (53.57%) with neutralization antibody titers ranging from 1:10 to 1:28.22.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Bats from different regions and of different species can be naturally infected with JEV and have a high prevalence of anti-JEV antibodies in their sera. The role of bats in the natural cycle of JEV awaits further study.</p>
Subject(s)
Animals , Antibodies, Viral , Blood , China , Chiroptera , Allergy and Immunology , Virology , Encephalitis Virus, Japanese , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Neutralization TestsABSTRACT
Objective To evaluate the effect of intrathecal resveratrol on activation of Ca2+/ calmodulin-dependent protein kinase Ⅱ (CaMK Ⅱ) in spinal dorsal horn neurons of rats with bone cancer pain.Methods Thirty-two adult female Sprague-Dawley rats,weighing 180-220 g,were equally randomized into 4 groups using a random number table:sham operation group (group S),bone cancer pain group (B group),and bone cancer pain + solvent control group (BD group).Walker 256 mammary gland cancer cell suspension (4× 105 cells/ml) 5 μl was injected into the medullary cavity of the right tibia in B,BR and BD groups.Normal saline 5 μl was given in group S.On 12,13 and 14 days after injection of mammary gland cancer cells,resveratrol 200 μg/10 μl was injected intrathecally once a day in group BR,and 1％ dimethyl sulfoxide 10 μl was intrathecally injected once a day in group BD.Before injection of mammary gland cancer cells (T0) and on 3,5,7,10,12 and 14 days after injection of mammary gland cancer cells (T1-6),mechanical paw withdrawal threshold (MWT) and thermal paw withdrawal latency (TWL) were measured.The rats were then sacrificed and L4,5 segments of the spinal cord were removed for confirmation of the location of phosphorylated CaMK Ⅱ (p-CaMK Ⅱ) in spinal dorsal horn neurons (by immunofluorescence) and for detection of p-CaMK lⅡ expression (using Western blot).Results Compared with group S,MWT and TWL were significantly decreased at T2-6,and p-CaMK Ⅱ expression was upregulated at T6,and p-CaMK Ⅱ was mainly co-expressed with neurons in B,BR and BD groups.Compared with group B,MWT and TWL were significantly increased at T5,6,and p-CaMK Ⅱ expression was down-regulated at T6 in group BR.There was no significant difference in MWT,TWL,and p-CaMK Ⅱ expression at each time point between group B and group BD.Conclusion Resveratrol can alleviate hyperalgesia in rats with bone cancer pain and inhibited activation of CaMK Ⅱ in spinal dorsal horn neurons may be involved in the mechanism.
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<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the effect of different immune status on the incidence of hepatic lesions in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection undergoing anti-tuberculosis therapy.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The PubMed (1966-2013), Embase (1966-2013), Wanfang (1998-2013), Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI; 1997-2013), and Chinese Biomedical (CBMdisc; 1860-2013) literature databases were searched for case-control studies of hepatic lesions in patients undergoing anti-tuberculosis therapy with or without concomitant HBV infection. The HBV patients were divided into subgroups according to hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) positivity or negativity, all members of the control group were HBsAg⁻. The data from all 7 studies included in the meta-analysis were extracted and analysed using RevMan5.2 soft-ware.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Patients with HBV infection who were undergoing anti-tuberculosis therapy had a higher risk factor than the control patients (OR =5.81, 95% CI =[4.26, 7.39]). The HBV patients with HBeAg positivity who were undergoing anti-tuberculosis therapy had a high risk factor than the HBV patients with HBeAg negativity (OR =2.56, 95% CI=[1.90, 3.44]).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>HBV infection is a risk factor for hepatic lesions when undergoing anti-tuberculosis therapy, and HBeAg-positive status may put a patient at higher risk.</p>