Mechanism study of the transmission of moxibustion heat in human acupoint tissues / 针灸推拿医学（英文版）

Objective:To discuss the topical action characteristics of the biological transmission of moxibustion heat via temperature collection and numerical modeling.Methods:Temperature of moxibustion was measured at multiple points at a distance of 3 cm to obtain the moxibustion temperature field nephograms by the high-accuracy temperature measure array.Finite element analysis was used to imitate the three-dimensional dynamic distribution of temperature in acupoint tissues.Results:Through numerical analysis,the one-dimensional,two-dimensional and three-dimensional distributions of temperature in human acupoint tissues at 5 min of moxibustion were established.The result showed that moxibustion heat mainly transmitted from the surface of the tissue to the internal,and the influence of moxibustion heat decreased with the depth of the tissue.The analysis of the nephograms of acupoint tissue temperature at 5,10,15 and 20 min of moxibustion showed that with the increase of the moxibustion time,the temperature in acupoint tissues constantly rose,and the transmission depth of moxibustion heat also further expanded inside acupoint.Conclusion:By establishing the three-dimensional dynamic model of heat transmission inside acupoint tissues with the biological parameters of human tissues and the temperature values obtained,this study used finite element analysis software ANSYS 14.0 and discovered the rules in the transmission of heat in body tissues during moxibustion,and the features in moxibustion heat transmission (from the proximal to the distant) and heat penetration (from the surface to the internal).This study provides theoretical and experimental support for the application of moxibustion in clinical practice.

Change of the thickness of macular inner and outer retina in patients with chronic primary angle-closure glaucoma / 眼科新进展

Objective To measure the thickness of macular inner and outer retina of chronic primary angle-closure glaucoma (CPACG) and observe its features.Methods Together 58 patients (58 eyes) including 14 patients with early CPACG,23 patients with moderate CPACG and 21 patients with severe CPACG were recruited as early CPACG group,moderate CPACG and severe CPACG group,respectively;additional 23 healthy volunteers were chosen as controls.The thickness of macular inner and outer retina at all parts were measured by RTVue-100 SD-OCT.Results The macular inner retinal thicknesses in fovea were (135.62 ± 2.96) μm,(124.21 ± 6.47) μm,(119.74 ± 10.67) μm and (94.95 ± 11.24) μm in the control group,early CPACG,moderate CPACG and severe CPACG group,respectively.The thicknesses of macular inner retina of fovea were significantly decreased in the early CPACG group,moderate CPACG group and severe CPACG group when compared with the control group (all P ＜ 0.05).There were also significant differences between early CPACG group and moderate CPACG group,severe CPACG group and moderate CPACG group and early CPACG group and severe CPACG group (all P ＜ 0.05).The thicknesses of macular outer retina of fovea,parafovea and perifovea were significantly decreased in the severe CPACG group compared with the control group (all P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion The thickness of macular inner and outer retina are decreased at all parts in patients with the severe CPACG.The macular inner retinal thickness only in the fovea is thinner in the patients with the early CPACG.

Spectral characteristics of burning moxa sticks / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND:The drug and thermal effects of moxa-wool moxibustion have been extensively studied in the clinical trials; however, the infrared radiation effects during the moxibustion are rarely reported. OBJECTIVE:To learn the spectrum characteristics of moxa sticks in the traditional moxibustion.METHODS:The herba violae, bog rush, tobacco and moxa were chosen as experimental materials. Furthermore, the moxa sticks of different storage years (1, 3, 10 years), proportions (1:3, 1:5, 1:10), and places of production (Nanyang, Qiai) were compared. A spectral measurement platform was built by using an optical power meter to analyze the spectral characteristics of the ten kinds of materials above. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:For the different materials, the herba violae and bog rush could not burn after crushed and the infrared radiation intensity of tobacco was too low, but a strong infrared emission was from the moxa with a wide range of spectrum from ultraviolet to far infrared ray. It was also found that the year of storage, proportion, place of production as well as production process had significant effects on the radiation intensity of the moxa stick. The spectrum ascended at visible-light spectrum region, reached its peak at near-infrared region, and then descended at mid-infrared and far-infrared regions. We analyzed the stability characteristics and relative total intensity of moxa stick based on statistics and mathematics. The results showed that the stability characteristics were proportional to the proportion of moxa wool, and the year of storage had stronger effect on the relative total intensity compared with the proportion of moxa wool. Herein, we systematically analyzed the spectral characteristics of different moxa sticks, thereby providing the scientific basic data for the study on the optical radiation of moxa-wool moxibustion.

Value of combined determination of neutrophil CD64 and procalcitonin in early diagnosis of neonatal bacterial infection / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the value of combined determination of neutrophil CD64 and procalcitonin (PCT) in the early diagnosis of neonatal bacterial infection.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>According to discharge diagnosis, 37 neonates with bacterial infection were divided into sepsis (n=15) and ordinary infection (non-sepsis) groups (n=22). Twenty-one neonates without infection who were hospitalized during the same period of time were enrolled as the control group. Venous blood samples were collected immediately after admission. Flow cytometry was used to measure the serum level of neutrophil CD64. Chemiluminescence and immune transmission turbidimetry were used to measure the serum levels of PCT and CRP respectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The sepsis group had higher serum levels of neutrophil CD64, PCT, and CRP than the control group (P<0.01), the ordinary infection group had a higher serum level of neutrophil CD64 than the control group (P<0.01), and the sepsis group had higher serum levels of PCT and CRP than the ordinary infection group (P<0.01). The areas under the ROC curve (AUC) of neutrophil CD64, PCT, and CRP in diagnosing bacterial infection were 0.818, 0.818, and 0.704 respectively, and the AUC of combined neutrophil CD64 and PCT was 0.926. A combination of neutrophil CD64 and PCT had a sensitivity of 97.29% and an accuracy of 89.65% in the early diagnosis of neonatal bacterial infection.The sensitivity and accuracy were higher than those of a combination of CRP and neutrophil CD64 or PCT as well as neutrophil CD64, PCT, or CRP alone for the early diagnosis of neonatal bacterial infection.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The combined determination of neutrophil CD64 and PCT can improve the sensitivity and accuracy in the diagnosis of neonatal bacterial infection, which helps with early identification of bacterial infection.</p>

Linkage of modified human papillomavirus type 16 E7 to CD40 ligand enhances specific CD8+ T-lymphocyte induction and anti-tumour activity of DNA vaccine / 中国医学科学院学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To develop human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 DNA vaccine for the treatment of HPV16 infection and its related tumors.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>HPV16 oncogene E7 was modified by combined approaches including insertion and replication of specific region of E7 gene, murine codon optimization, and point-mutation at transforming regions of the E7 protein. The resulting artificial gene, named as mE7, was obtained by gene synthesis. The mE7 gene was then genetically fused to murine CD40 ligand (CD40L) by overlapping PCR to form the mE7/CD40L fusion gene. The mE7/CD40L gene was inserted into pVR1012 plasmid and then immunized C57/BL6 mice intramuscularly. The E7-specific IFN-gamma-secreting CD8+ T cells were analyzed with EIISPOT, and E7-specific antibody was measured by indirect ELISA. FACS assays were performed to analyze the activation of E7-specific Th cells. Mice were vaccinated, followed by tumor challenged or challenged before immunization. Tumor growth was observed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The mE7 DNA vaccine elicited an increased E7-specific antibody level (P < 0.01), E7-specific IFN-gamma-secreting CD8+ T (P < 0.01), and CD4+ T cells number (P < 0.05), compared with those of mice immunized with wE7 gene. Furthermore, the mE7/CD40L DNA vaccine elicited an increased number of E7-specific IFN-gamma secreting CD8+ T cell compared with that of mice immunized with mE7 gene (P < 0.01); however, no significant differences were found between mice immunized with the mE7 gene and mE7/CD40L fusion gene in the E7-specific antibody production and Th cell activation. In the preventive experiment, all mice received the mE7 or mE7/CD40L remained tumor-free 7 weeks after challenges with TC-1 tumor cells, while the wE7 group exhibited tumor growth within 2 weeks. In the therapeutic experiment, all the mice in the wE7 group exhibited tumor growth within 8 days, while among mice receiving the mE7 and mE7/CD40L, 30% and 45% of mice remained tumor-free after TC-1 challenge, respectively. HE staining of tumor tissues showed copious lymphocytes infiltration around tumor cells in mE7 and mE7/CD40L mice with regression of tumor growth.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The mE7 DNA vaccine increases the E7-specific humoral and cellular immune responses, and the fusion of CD40L to mE7 gene enhances the specific immune responses and anti-tumor effects against HPV16 E7-expressing murine tumors. mE7/CD40L may therefore be a suitable and promising target for HPV16 therapeutic vaccine.</p>

Encapsidating artificial human papillomavirus-16 mE7 protein in human papillomavirus-6b L1/L2 virus like particles / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) can infect squamous or mucosal epithelia and cause cervical cancer or genital warts. Coinfection with multiple HPV types is a common finding of many epidemiological studies. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a vaccine, which can eradicate established HPV infections and prevent other HPV infections. In this study, we generated chimeric virus like particles (cVLPs) composed of HPV-6b L1, HPV-6b L2 and one artificial HPV-16 mE7 proteins.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The artificial HPV-16 mE7 gene was designed by codon modification, point mutation and gene shuffling then chemically synthesized and subcloned behind HPV-6b L2. HPV-6b L1 and L2-mE7 were expressed in insect cells by using Bac-to-Bac system. The generated cVLPs were purified by CsCl gradient ultracentrifuge and analyzed by immunoblot, electron microscope and haemagglutination assay.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The HPV-6b L1 and L2-mE7 proteins were well expressed in insect cells and could selfassemble into cVLPs, whose diameter was about 55 nm and similar to that of HPV-6b L1/L2 VLPs. Intact cVLPs could be recognized by H6.M48 neutralizing monoclonal antibody and HPV-6b L2 polyclonal antibody, while the denatured cVLPs, but not the intact cVLPs, were reactive to HPV-16 E7 polyclonal antibody. HPV-6b L1/L2-mE7 cVLPs haemagglutinated mouse erythrocytes as efficiently as HPV-6b L1/L2 VLPs did.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The insertion of the 158 amino acid HPV-16 mE7 protein behind L2 did not disrupt the correct assembling of cVLPs. The morphological characteristics and haemagglutinating activity of cVLPs were similar to those of HPV-6b L1/L2 VLPs. The cVLPs retained conformational B cell epitopes of HPV-6 VLPs and HPV-16 mE7 protein had an internal location in the cVLPs. Therefore, large modified E7 protein with higher immunogenicity could be incorporated into cVLPs by fusing to the C-terminus of L2, which would help to improve the therapeutic effects of L1/L2-E7 cVLPs.</p>

Enhancement of herpes simplex virus-1 glycoprotein-D DNA vaccine induced specific immune responses by coimmunization with interleukin-2 genetic adjuvant / 中国医学科学院学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the immune responses and protection from virus challenge, induced by the coinjection of IL-2cDNA with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) glycoprotein-D (gD) DNA vaccine.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Two DNA vaccines (pgD and pIL-2) were constructed by inserting the gD gene and IL-2 cDNA into the eukaryotic expression vector pcDNA3.1, respectively. The BALB/c mice were inoculated intramuscularly three times at 2-week intervals. Two weeks after the final immunization, mice were bled for antibody assay and spleen cells were separated for Th cell proliferation and cytokine assays. Delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) response was detected by the pinna-swelling test. Corneal protection under HSV-1 virus challenge was continuously observed with slit-lamp microscope.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>IL-2 cDNA coinjection remarkably enhanced the specific IgG2a level when compared with gD plasmid vaccination alone. Th cell proliferation and secretion of cytokines (IL-2 and IFN-gamma) were significantly increased by IL-2 cDNA coinjection. However, the production of IL-10 was inhibited. The DTH response was also enhanced by IL-2 coinjection. When the mice were challenged with HSV-1, the cornea epithelial lesions were significantly alleviated by IL-2 coinjection as compared with gD vaccination alone.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>IL-2 cDNA can enhance both the humoral and cellular immune responses, and thus increase the vaccine potency.</p>

Enhancement of human papillomavirus type 16E6E7 vaccine-induced specific immune response by coimmunization with B7-1 co-stimulatory gene / 中国医学科学院学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To develop a therapeutic vaccine against human tumors associated with human papillomavirus type 16E6E7 (HPV16E6E7) which is modified from a Chinese patient of the cervical cancer which possessing the antigenicity and no transforming activity, and explore more active vaccine for inducing cellular immunity with mouse co-stimulatory molecular B7-1 gene.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The modified E6E7 gene expression plasmid pVR1012-fmE6E7 was constructed and transfected Cos-7 cells, and the E7 protein specific expression was testified by immunofluorescence assay. C57BL/6 mice were immunized intramuscularly with pVR1012-fmE6E7 alone or in combination with B7-1 gene expression plasmid (pcDNA3.1-B7-1). The activity of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) was analyzed with 51Cr specific release assay and the specific antibody in sera was analyzed by indirect ELISA. HPV16 positive C57BL/6 tumor cells C3 were inoculated subcutaneously in the vaccinated mice to assay the growth of transplanted tumors.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The specific CTLs and antibody from immunized mice were induced efficaciously by the E6E7 gene immunization, and co-administration of B7-1 gene could significantly enhanced the CTLs immune responses of fmE6E7, and protected 33% immunized mice against C3 tumor cells challenge. In contrast, all the mice immunized only with fmE6E7 gene developed transplanted tumors after C3 cells challenge. There was no difference in E7 specific antibody responses between mice immunized with the E6E7 gene only and co-administration with B7-1 gene.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The modified E6E7 gene can be used as target gene for developing DNA vaccine, and B7-1 gene may represent an attractive adjuvant for enhancement of the specific cellular immune responses.</p>

Identification and assessment of multiple human papillomavirus types in condyloma acuminata lesions from patients with genital warts in Beijing area / 中国医学科学院学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To identify and assess multiple human papillomavirus types in condyloma acuminatum lesions from patients with genital warts in Beijing area, and compare different features between otherwise healthy and immunosuppressed patients.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>PCR, RFLP and nucleotide sequencing analysis were used to determine HPV types from individual lesions.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The predominant type from other healthy patients was HPV6, secondly HPV11. The mean age of patients infected by HPV6 was lower than that of HPV11 and HPV6 + 11. While lesions from immunosuppressed patients were often contained HPV11 or mixed with HPV6. Besides, HPV types 16 and 53 were detected from infected lesions than other HPV types.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>HPV6 was the major pathogen of condyloma acuminatum, but infected patients were at lower ages. While HPV11 was most often detected from immunosuppressed patients. As a low risk virus in normal genital tract, HPV53 also could be a pathogen in genital warts.</p>