Isolation and identification of Japanese encephalitis virus in Tanghe County, Henan Province / 中华实验和临床病毒学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To isolate Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) from mosquitoes collected in Tanghe County, Henan province and analyze the genotype of the newly isolated JEV strains and the characteristics of amino acid in the E gene.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Viruses were isolated from mosquitoes collected in 2004 and identified by biological, serological and molecular biologic methods. PrM and E segments of the newly isolated JEV were amplified by RT-PCR, the PCR products were purified and sequenced. Multiple alignment, phylogenetic and amino acid (AA) analysis were carried out by Clustal X (1.8) program, MEGA 3.1 and GENEDOS (3.2).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Totally 3722 mosquitoes were collected including Culex, Armigeres, Aedes, Anopheline. Three new JEV strains isolated from Culex belonged to genotype 1. The homologue of nucleotide and amino acid of E gene between new JEV strains and live attenuated vaccine strain SA14-14-2 was 86.9-87.7% and 95.2%-97.0%, respectively. Totally there were 12 common sites of amino acid differences in E gene between them.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Newly isolated viruses in Henan province belonged to JEV genotype 1. It suggests that the vaccine strain SA14-14-2 currently used for preventing JE is able to protect people from JEV infection, although there are some amino acid differences between them.</p>

Clinical significance of detection of T-cell subgroups in patients with aplastic anemia / 中国实验血液学杂志

The study was aimed to investigate the changes of T-cell subgroups in the peripheral blood (PB) of patients with aplastic anemia (AA) and the relationships between these changes and the pathogenesis of AA and the immunosuppressive therapeutic effects in AA, in order to provide a basis for selecting rational therapy of AA patients. T-cell subtype and the ratio of CD4+/CD8+ cell in the PB of 88 AA patients which had been diagnosed clearly and given conventional therapy or conventional therapy combined with immunotherapy were analyzed by tri-colour fluorescence-labeled monoclonal antibody and using multiparameter flow cytometry. The patients with AA were divided into normal type of ratio, inverted type of ratio, hypernormal type of ratio according to the ratio of CD4+/CD8+ cell in normal group, and then the relations of these subtype with patients' conditions and therapeutic effects were investigated. The results showed that the percentage of normal type of ratio in all patients was 39.8%, the percentage of inverted type of ratio in all patients was 44.3%, The percentage of hypernormal type of ratio in all patients was 15.9%. In the conventional therapy alone, there was no significant difference on therapeutic effects among these three immunological subtypes. In combined immunotherapy, total therapeutic efficacy of AA patients with inverted type of ratio and AA patients with immunologic abnormality (inverted type + hypernormal type) was 84.2% and 82.6% respectively, which were more than that in conventional therapy (45.5% and 42.8%) (p < 0.05). Total therapeutic efficacy in these patients was better than that in AA patients with normal type. It is concluded that significant abnormal ratios of CD4+/CD8+ exist in the majority of AA patients, abnormal ratios of CD4+/CD8+ both may be showed as increase or decrease, immunologic abnormality may play a role in pathogenesis of the patients with AA. The detection of PB T-cell subtype in patients with aplastic anemia contributes to evaluation of patients' condition and choice of rational treatment prescription, and enhancement of diagnostic level and therapeutic efficacy significantly, which is an important indicator for therapeutic strategy also.

Genetics subtypes and distribution of Seoul virus in Henan / 中华流行病学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the sub-genotypes and distribution ot Seoul virus in Henan.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Rodents were collected in the major epidemic areas and rats lungs were studied by indirect immunofluorescence assay. Partial M and S segments were amplified with nested reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction using Hantavirus genotype-specific primers, sequenced, analyzed and compared with other known sequences.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The Hantavirus carried by Rattus norvegicus, Rattus flavipectus and Mus musculus were all belonged to Seoul virus in the main epidemic areas of Henan. We constructed two phylogenetic tree based on the partial M and S segment sequences while phylogenetic analysis distinguished three genetic subtypes (S1, S2 and S3). S1 and S3 were found main subtypes in Henan.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The results indicated that the genetic subtypes of Hantavirus were complicated and widely distributed in Henan.</p>

A novel mutation of KCNQ2 gene in a Chinese family with benign familial neonatal convulsions / 中华医学遗传学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To diagnose a Chinese benign familial neonatal convulsions (BFNC) family at the level of gene and investigate its molecular pathogenesis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>All family members were studied by clinical examinations and linkage analysis. Mutation analysis of KCNQ2 gene was made by means of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-direct sequencing and PCR-single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) in the proband, 16 family members and 72 unrelated normal individuals.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Linkage analysis hinted the linkage of BFNC to KCNQ2, while the linkage to KCNQ3 was excluded. Mutation 1931delG of KCNQ2 gene was found in the proband by DNA-direct sequencing. The same SSCP variant as the proband's was showed in the rest affected members of this family but not in the unaffected members of this family and all of the 72 unrelated normal individuals.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>1931delG of KCNQ2 gene can cause BFNC in China and is novel mutation. The combination of linkage analysis and gene analysis is useful for gene diagnosis.</p>