[A review on the epidemiologic features of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome].

Severe fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging hemorrhagic fever disease in the rural areas of east-central China, which is caused by SFTSV-a newly discovered bunyavirus. SFTSV is most likely transmitted by tick bites but can also be transmitted within human beings. The onset of SFTS is sudden and with rapid progress, with main clinical manifestations as fever, thrombocytopenia, leucopenia and gastrointestinal and hepatorenal dysfunctions. Some patients may die from multiple organ failure, and the case fatality rate is approximately 10%. In this paper, we use the method of literature review to summarize the recent research progress of SFTS which includes the epidemic distribution characteristics, medium of transmission, host animals, transmission routes and susceptibility in the general population.

Natriorexigenic effect of DAMGO is decreased by blocking AT1 receptors in the central nucleus of the amygdala.

µ-Opioid receptor (µ-OR) activation with agonist [D-Ala², N-Me-Phe4, Gly5-ol]-enkephalin (DAMGO) in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) induces sodium (0.3M NaCl) intake in rats. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of pre-injections of losartan (AT1 angiotensin receptor antagonist) into the CeA on 0.3 M NaCl and water intake induced by DAMGO injected bilaterally in the same area in rats submitted to water deprivation-partial rehydration (WD-PR) and in rats treated with the diuretic furosemide (FURO) combined with a low dose of the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor captopril (CAP) injected subcutaneously (FURO/CAP). Male Sprague-Dawley rats with stainless steel cannulas implanted bilaterally into the CeA were used. In WD-PR rats, bilateral injections of DAMGO (2 nmol in 0.5 µL) into the CeA induced 0.3 M NaCl and water intake, and pre-treatment with losartan (108 nmol in 0.5 µL) injected into the CeA reduced 0.3 M NaCl and water intake induced by DAMGO. In FURO/CAP rats, pre-treatment with losartan (108 nmol in 0.5 µL) injected into the CeA attenuated the increase in 0.3M NaCl and water intake induced by DAMGO (2 nmol in 0.5 µL) injected into the same site. The results suggest that the natriorexigenic effect of DAMGO injected into the CeA is facilitated by endogenous angiotensin II acting on AT1 receptors in the CeA, which drives rats to ingest large amounts of hypertonic NaCl.

Aberrant expression of imprinted genes and their regulatory network in cloned cattle.

Domesticated animals cloned by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) generally have poor developmental competency, with many developmental abnormalities attributed to incomplete reprogramming of the nuclear genome and abnormal expression of genes important for regulation of growth and development. To investigate the molecular mechanism leading to the abnormalities of cloned animals, pathologic and histologic analyses were conducted on seven cloned cattle that were oversized at birth and had cardiac and pulmonary abnormalities. Quantitative reverse transcription (RT)-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of four imprinted genes IGF2, IGF2R, H19, and GRB10, as well as genes from related regulatory networks, were performed in liver, lung, kidney, and muscle to investigate disruption of expression. Expression of IGFBP2 was not detected in morphologically normal cloned cattle, but was detected in the liver, lung, kidney, and thymus of abnormal calves. Expression levels of IGF1 and imprinted genes IGF2 and H19 were substantially higher in these organs of abnormal cattle. In contrast, expression levels of GRB10, CTSD, and TRPV2 were substantially lower in abnormal cattle. Transcript abundance of IGFBP6 was higher in kidney, but lower in liver and lung. In conclusion, we inferred that altered expression of imprinted and related genes may be closely related to increased birth weight and pathologic changes in abnormal cloned cattle.

Using molecular markers to identify two major loci controlling carotenoid contents in maize grain.

Maize is an important source of pro-vitamin A; beta-carotene, alpha-carotene and beta-cryptoxanthin, and the non-pro-vitamin A carotenoids including lutein and zeaxanthin. In the present study, a recombinant inbred (RI) population with 233 RI lines derived from a cross between By804 and B73 was employed to detect QTL for these nutritionally important components in maize grain. High Performance Liquid Chromatography was used to measure amounts of individual carotenoids over 2 years. A genetic linkage map was constructed with 201 molecular markers. In all, 31 putative QTL including 23 for individual and 8 for total carotenoids were detected on chromosome(s) 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 10. The notable aspect of this study was that much of the phenotypic variation in contents of carotenoids could be explained by two loci (y1 and y9), and the QTL for carotenoids elucidated the interrelationships among these compounds at the molecular level. A gene targeted marker (Y1ssr) in the candidate gene phytoene synthase 1 (psy1) tightly linked to a major QTL explaining 6.6-27.2% phenotypic variation for levels of carotenoids was identified, which may prove useful to expedite breeding for higher level of carotenoids in maize grain. This functionally characterized gene (psy1) could also be exploited for further development of functional marker for carotenoids in maize. The QTL cluster located at y9 locus may also be used for pyramiding favorable alleles controlling contents of carotenoids from diverse maize germplasm.

Conservative management of spontaneous ruptured hepatocellular carcinoma.

Because most emergent surgical operations for patients with spontaneous ruptured hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) achieved hemostasis only, a conservative approach was chosen for management of initial bleeding in our institute. Elective surgery was performed in selected patients to attempt resection of the HCC after stabilization of the hemorrhage. From 1971, 68 of 87 patients with ruptured HCC received the conservative treatment, and 19 were treated by emergent surgery during the same period. Overall, one week and one month mortality rates were 26.5 per cent, 48.5 per cent in the conservative group, and 31.6 per cent, 47.4 per cent in the emergent operative group, respectively. Two patients in the emergent operative group underwent partial hepatectomy for a resectability of 10.5 per cent. Fifteen patients in the conservative group received elective laparotomy 1-3 weeks after control of the initial bleeding. Six underwent partial hepatectomy with a resectability of 40.0 per cent. In conclusion, conservative management is an effective approach for control of intraperitoneal hemorrhage in patients with ruptured HCC. Elective surgery on selected patients after hemostasis will increase the cancer resection rate in patients who undergo laparotomy and will give a better life expectancy than emergent laparotomy in patients with ruptured HCC.