Biological warfare agent detection technology and research progress / 军事医学

As a weapon of mass destruction ,the biological weapon , composed of biological warfare agents and their re-lease devices,is characterized by strong pathogenicity , large pollution areas, various routes of infection, low cost, user-friendliness and a large number of impact factors .Although the United Nations has banned the use of biological weapons , there are still some countries and regions that continue biological weapon researches .In addition, illegal use of biological warfare agents in the field of terrorism and non-military arena poses a serious threat to public safety .Early detection of bio-logical warfare agent use and determination of its type are crucial to biological weapon defense and epidemic control .There-fore, to enhance researches on rapid detection and early warning of biological warfare agents is of great significance .This paper reviews the main technologies currently applied to the field of biological warfare agent detection and their progress .

Analysis on transformation situation of tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment mode in Guangxi during 2011-2012 and countermeasure discussion / 重庆医学

Objective To analyze the transformation situation of the tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis and treatment mode in 18 coun-ties(cities) of Guangxi and to explore the countermeasure for perfecting the TB control service system in Guangxi .Methods The self-designed questionnaire was adopted to retrospectively investigate the transformation situation of the TB diagnosis and treatment mode in 18 counties(cities) .Results In the 18 counties(cities) ,there were 8 counties(cities) ,accounted for 44 .4% ,with the trans-formation reason of the qualification was not completed in the original agency;there were 16 counties (cities ) ,accounted for 88 .9% ,with issuing the formal documents and arranging relevant work by the local health bureau before the transformation ;the number of full-time TB staff was reduced in 14 counties(cities) ,accounted for 77 .8% ,after the transformation ;there were 8 coun-ties(cities) ,accounted for 44 .4% ,set up the independent TB outpatient in the designated hospital ;there were 4 counties(cities) ,ac-counted for 22 .2% ,received the evaluation of very goodandgoodfor the TB control work after the transformation .Conclusion The health administrative department should actively promote the counties (cities) without the completed medical qualification to transform the TB diagnosis and treatment mode and coordinate the related works to carry out smoothly .

Immune responses of silicotic rats to the antigen of sheep red blood cells / 中华劳动卫生职业病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the immune response of silicotic rats to sheep red blood cells(SRBC).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Silicotic rats were immunized with SRBC by tracheal instillation(Group 1) or intraperitoneal injection (Group 2), and non-silicotic rats were immunized by tracheal instillation as normal control(Group 3). The levels of serum hemolytic index(HC50) were measured on 7, 12, 20, 25, and 32 days after primary immunization and 5, 12, 15 days after the second immunization. Special anti-SRBC IgG was measured with ELISA(A490 nm) on 12, 20, 25, 32 days and 5, 12, 15, 27 days respectively. Delayed-type hypersensitivity(DTH) to SRBC was measured 20 days after second immunization and DTH reaction was determined at 24, 48, 72, and 96 h after administration. Total cell count and cell populations in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF), lung associated lymph node(LALN) and spleen weight, special IgG secreted from spleen cells were measured at the end of the experiment.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The HC50 of Group 1(47.4 +/- 1.0, 52.2 +/- 4.6, 31.1 +/- 11.9, 43.8 +/- 3.5, 33.6 +/- 16.8, 49.0 +/- 2.3, 92.9 +/- 20.2, 87.7 +/- 5.2) were statistically higher than those of Group 3(40.4 +/- 10.6, 2.8 +/- 2.5, 0.8 +/- 0.6, 6.6 +/- 5.8, 1.4 +/- 0.1, 36.5 +/- 16.5, 53.0 +/- 33.2, 2.6 +/- 2.2). The special anti-SRBC IgG response in Group 1(1.67 +/- 0.19, 1.98 +/- 0.36, 1.12 +/- 0.50, 1.38 +/- 0.30, 2.75 +/- 0.15, 2.60 +/- 0.28, 2.86 +/- 0.10, 2.50 +/- 0.20) were much stronger than those in Group 3 (0.59 +/- 0.30, 0.56 +/- 0.21, 0.21 +/- 0.16, 0.22 +/- 0.01, 0.81 +/- 0.25, 0.74 +/- 0.25, 0.69 +/- 0.26, 1.38 +/- 0.41). Furthermore, the results of DTH showed positive response and the ratios for diameter of skin rash > 5 mm at 24, 48, 72, 96 h were 16/16, 16/16, 16/16, 15/16 respectively in Group 1, while those in Group 3 were 8/15, 1/15, 1/15, 1/15 respectively. Total cell count in the BALF, LALN and spleen weight, and special IgG secreted from spleen cells in Group 1 were higher too. Group 2 expressed almost of the same but with mild immunologic responses as Group 1.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Silicosis-induced extremely strong DTH and over-response of humoral immunity to some antigens may contribute to the likelihood of silicosis complicated with tuberculosis.</p>

Content of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Mainstream Smoke of Chinese Cigarettes / 环境与健康杂志

Objective To analyze the content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in mainstream smoke of 20 brands of Chinese cigarette. Methods Mainstream smoke of 20 brands of Chinese cigarettes were collected by ASM51 smoking machine. Both tar and nicotine were analysed in the same time. Nine kinds of PAHs, fluoranthene, pyrene, benzo(a)anthracene, chrysene, benzo(a)pyrene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(k)fluoranthene, benzo(g, h, j)perylene and dibenzo(a, h)anthracene, in mainstream smoke from each brand were determined with HPLC. Results Total PAHs ranged from 404.1 to 1 085 ng per cigarette with an average of 714.8 ng per cigarette. Non-carcinogenic PAHs accounted for 93% of total PAHs. Carcinogenic PAHs ranged from 49.4 to 117.7 ng per cigarette, averaging 89.4 ng per cigarette. Content of tar, not nicotine, was significantly related to either total PAHs or carcinogenic PAHs. Conclusion Significant correlation between tar and PAHs suggests that tar may be a predictor of carcinogenic PAHs in mainstream smoke of Chinese cigarettes and a parameter to assess the impact of Chinese cigarettes on health.