Social functioning characteristics of children with co occurrence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and oppositional defiant disorder / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To explore the social functioning characteristics of children with co ocurrence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) for intervention reference.@*Methods@#The Chinese Version of Swanson Nolan and Pelham, Version IV Scale-Parent Form(SNAP-IV), the Chinese Version of Weiss Functional Impairment Scale-Parent(WFIRS-P), and the Questionnaire-Children with Difficulties (QCD) were applied to 192 children with ADHD, 243 children with co occurrence of ADHD and ODD, who firstly visited the Department of Children Psychological Health of Zhuhai Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, and 118 healthy control children from a school in Zhuhai.@*Results@#The scores of attention deficit factor in SNAP-Ⅳ scale of children in three groups were[1.9(1.7, 2.1), 1.8(1.6, 1.9), 1.0(0.6, 1.2)], the scores of hyperactive impulsivity were[1.8(1.4, 2.1), 1.6(1.1, 1.8), 0.7(0.2, 1.0)] the scores of oppositional defiant were[1.6(1.5, 1.9), 1.0(0.8,1.1), 0.8(0.5, 1.0)], the differences were statistically significant( H=268.44, 237.97, 418.66, P <0.01). The dimensions and total scores of the three groups of children s WFIRS-P scale were family[0.8(0.6, 1.1), 0.6(0.3, 0.8), 0.3(0.1, 0.6)]; learning and school[0.8(0.5, 1.1), 0.8(0.5, 1.0), 0.3(0.1, 0.5)]; life skills[1.0(0.7, 1.2), 0.8(0.6, 1.0), 0.6(0.4, 0.8)]; self management [1.0(0.3, 1.0), 0.7(0.3, 1.0), 0.3(0.0, 0.7)]; social activities [0.7(0.4, 1.0), 0.6(0.3, 0.9), 0.3(0.0, 0.4 )]; adventure activities[0.3(0.2, 0.5), 0.2(0.1, 0.4), 0.1(0.0, 0.2)]; the total score[0.8(0.6, 1.0), 0.6(0.5, 0.8), 0.4( 0.2 , 0.6)], the difference between the groups was statistically significant( H=108.82, 122.45, 60.17, 40.58, 96.17, 76.57, 138.30, P <0.01). The difference between the QCD scale scores of children in the three groups was statistically significant[30.0( 24.0 , 37.0), 32.0(27.0, 40.0), 47.0(37.0, 52.3), H=124.65, P <0.01). Multiple regression analysis showed that attention deficit, and oppositional defiant symptoms were associated with both the total WFIRS-P score and the QCD score of children( R 2= 0.40 , 0.25, P <0.05).@*Conclusion@#Children with co occurrence of ADHD and ODD have more severe deficits in all dimensions of social functioning than children with ADHD, which might be associated with attention deficit and oppositional defiant symptoms.

Structural basis of a two-antibody cocktail exhibiting highly potent and broadly neutralizing activities against SARS-CoV-2 variants including diverse Omicron sublineages

SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs), especially the latest Omicron, have exhibited severe antibody evasion. Broadly neutralizing antibodies with high potency against Omicron are urgently needed for understanding working mechanisms and developing therapeutic agents. In this study, we characterized previously reported F61, which was isolated from convalescent patients infected with prototype SARS-CoV-2, as a broadly neutralizing antibody against all VOCs including Omicron BA.1, BA.1.1, BA.2, BA.3 and BA.4 sublineages by utilizing antigen binding and cell infection assays. We also identified and characterized another broadly neutralizing antibody D2 with epitope distinct from that of F61. More importantly, we showed that a combination of F61 with D2 exhibited synergy in neutralization and protecting mice from SARS-CoV-2 Delta and Omicron BA.1 variants. Cryo-EM structures of the spike-F61 and spike-D2 binary complexes revealed the distinct epitopes of F61 and D2 at atomic level and the structural basis for neutralization. Cryo-EM structure of the Omicron-spike-F61-D2 ternary complex provides further structural insights into the synergy between F61 and D2. These results collectively indicated F61 and F61-D2 cocktail as promising therapeutic antibodies for combating SARS-CoV-2 variants including diverse Omicron sublineages.

Antibody Cocktail Exhibits Broad Neutralization against SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV-2 variants

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has precipitated multiple variants resistant to therapeutic antibodies. In this study, 12 high-affinity antibodies were generated from convalescent donors in early outbreaks using immune antibody phage display libraries. Of them, two RBD-binding antibodies (F61 and H121) showed high affinity neutralization against SARS-CoV-2, whereas three S2-target antibodies failed to neutralize SARS-CoV-2. Following structure analysis, F61 identified a linear epitope located in residues G446 -S494, which overlapped with angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) binding sites, while H121 recognized a conformational epitope located on the side face of RBD, outside from ACE2 binding domain. Hence the cocktail of the two antibodies achieved better performance of neutralization to SARS-CoV-2. Importantly, F61 and H121 exhibited efficient neutralizing activity against variants B.1.1.7 and B.1.351, those showed immune escape. Efficient neutralization of F61 and H121 against multiple mutations within RBD revealed a broad neutralizing activity against SARS-CoV-2 variants, which mitigated the risk of viral escape. Our findings defined the basis of therapeutic cocktails of F61 and H121 with broad neutralization and delivered a guideline for the current and future vaccine design, therapeutic antibody development, and antigen diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 and its novel variants.

Abnormal Upregulation of Cardiovascular Disease Biomarker PLA2G7 Induced by Proinflammatory Macrophages in COVID-19 patients

BACKGROUNDCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) triggers distinct patterns of pneumonia progression with multiorgan disease, calling for cell- and/or tissue-type specific host injury markers. METHODSAn integrated hypothesis-free single biomarker analysis framework was performed on nasal swabs (n = 484) from patients with COVID-19 in GSE152075. The origin of candidate biomarker was assessed in single-cell RNA data (GSE145926). The candidate biomarker was validated in a cross-sectional cohort (n = 564) at both nucleotide and protein levels. RESULTSPhospholipase A2 group VII (PLA2G7) was identified as a candidate biomarker in COVID-19. PLA2G7 was predominantly expressed by proinflammatory macrophages in lungs emerging with progression of COVID-19. In the validation stage, PLA2G7 was found in patients with COVID-19 and pneumonia, especially in severe pneumonia, rather than patients suffered mild H1N1 influenza infection. Up to 100% positive rates of PLA2G7 were positively correlated with not only viral loads in patients with COVID-19 but also severity of pneumonia in non-COVID-19 patients. Although Ct values of PLA2G7 in severe pneumonia was significantly lower than that in moderate pneumonia (P = 7.2e-11), no differences were observed in moderate pneumonia with COVID-19 between severe pneumonia without COVID-19 (P = 0.81). Serum protein levels of PLA2G7, also known as lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2), were further found to be elevated and beyond the upper limit of normal in patients with COVID-19, especially among the re-positive patients. CONCLUSIONSWe firstly identified and validated PLA2G7, a biomarker for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), was abnormally enhanced in COVID-19 patients at both nucleotide and protein aspects. These findings provided indications into the prevalence of cardiovascular involvements seen in COVID-19 patients. PLA2G7 could be a hallmark of COVID-19 for monitoring disease progress and therapeutic response. FUNDINGThis study was supported by grants from China Mega-Projects for Infectious Disease (2018ZX10711001), National Natural Science Foundation of China (82041023).

Association of endocannabinoid and its metabolic enzymes with severity in children with autism spectrum disorder / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective:To explore the relationship between endocannabinoid (eCB) and its metabolic enzymes and severity of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and to provide a theoretical basis for the study of the etiology and pathogenesis of ASD.Methods:A case-control study was conducted to collect 58 ASD children who underwent rehabilitation training at the Children's Developmental Behavior Research Center of Harbin Medical University and the provincial autism rehabilitation facility from December 2017 to December 2018 as the ASD group.According to the principle of gender and age 1∶1 matching, 58 normal children were selected as control group in Heilongjiang Province.Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) were used to detect eCB of ASD group and control group, including anandamide (AEA), 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), oleoylethanolamide (OEA) and its metabolic enzymes: n-acylphosphatidylethanolamine-specific phospholipase D (NAPE-PLD), fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) and diacylglycerol lipase (DAGL) mRNA expression levels.Pearson correlation was used to analyze the level of eCB and ASD children's severity.Results:The levels of AEA, OEA and PEA in ASD children ((10.10±2.6)nmol/L, (24.30±5.60)nmol/L, (15.92±2.28)nmol/L) were lower than those in the control group ((13.46±3.04)nmol/L, (27.85± 6.89)nmol/L, (17.87±2.67)nmol/L, t=-6.612, -3.99, -4.779, P<0.01). The expression levels of FAAH and DAGL mRNA in ASD children were significantly higher than those in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant( t=2.423, 3.840, P<0.05), while NAPE-PLD and MAGL mRNA levels were not significantly different between the two groups ( t=0.024, 0.885, P>0.05). The level of PEA in the ASD group was negatively correlated with the total score of the autism behavior checklist (ABC) ( r=-0.288, P<0.05). Conclusion:There may be metabolic abnormalities in eCB and its metabolic enzymes in ASD children, and the level of eCB is related with the severity of ASD.

Evaluating the importation of yellow fever cases into China in 2016 and strategies used to prevent and control the spread of the disease

Abstract@#During the yellow fever epidemic in Angola in 2016, cases of yellow fever were reported in China for the first time. The 11 cases, all Chinese nationals returning from Angola, were identified in March and April 2016, one to two weeks after the peak of the Angolan epidemic. One patient died; the other 10 cases recovered after treatment. This paper reviews the epidemiological characteristics of the 11 yellow fever cases imported into China. It examines case detection and disease control and surveillance, and presents recommendations for further action to prevent additional importation of yellow fever into China.

Development of a triplex real-time RT-PCR assay to detect Zika, Chikungunya and Mayaro viruses / 中华实验和临床病毒学杂志

Objective@#To establish a method for the simultaneous identification of Zika, Chikungunya and Mayaro viruses.@*Methods@#The complete genome sequences of Zika, Chikungunya and Mayaro virus were retrieved from Global Shared Database for comparative analysis, estimate its conservative region and determine the target gene location, specific primers and probes were designed, then a triplex real-time RT-PCR assay was developed. The specificity, sensitivity and repeatability of the assay were assessed by viral nucleic acid of Zika virus, Chikungunya virus a, in vitro transcriptional RNA of Mayaro virus, normal human serum and related virus simulation sample.@*Results@#The result showed that the established method could detect Zika virus, Chikungunya virus, as well as simulated Mayaro virus samples, the limit of detection (LOD) of Zika and Chikungunya virus was 16.22 Copy/PCR and 12.02 Copy/PCR, respectively, the LOD for simulated Mayaro virus RNA was 2.82 Copy/PCR, no significant difference was detected between the triplex and monoplex assays. No cross reaction was found in the detection of dengue virus, Hantavirus, severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) virus, yellow fever virus and influenza virus, and 100 healthy adults blood samples, the specificity of the method was 100%. The repeatability result showed that the standard deviation of all three detections were blow 0.5 and the coefficient of variation was less than 2% by selecting viral nucleic acids or transcribed RNA with high, medium and low concentration gradients.@*Conclusions@#A triplex real-time RT-PCR assay for detection of Zika, Chikungunya and Mayaro virus has been established with an acceptable specificity, sensitivity and repeatability.

Methods of packaging lentivirus library for CRISPR/cas9 -based screening / 中华实验和临床病毒学杂志

Objective@#To obtain the optimum of lentiviral library packaging based on CRISPR/cas9 (Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat sequences/CRISPR-associated protein 9).@*Methods@#Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), immunofluorescence antibody (IFA) and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were used to detect the lentivirus titers in condition of different ratio of packaging plasmids, different addition of lipofectamine 3000 reagent and different time points post-transfection. Then, high-throughput sequencing was performed to evaluate the representation and distribution of single guide (sg)RNAs in the library.@*Results@#The lentivirus titer was the highest when the molar ratio of psPAX2∶pMD2.0G∶Lentivirus library was 2∶1∶1, and the optimum addition of Lipofectamine 3000 reagent was 10 μl, while the result of ELISA were correspondent to that of RT-PCR. The IFA result showed that the lentivirus titer was the highest at 60 h post-transfecion. The coverage of sgRNAs in the lentivirus library packaged with the optimum we obtained was 99.3%, and the read counts of sgRNAs was observed in a normal distribution.@*Conclusions@#The optimal lentivirus library packaging was obtained, and this can provide basis for CRISPR/cas9-based screening.

Immortalization of spleen fibroblastic reticular cells infected by severe fever thrombocytopenia syndrome virus / 中华实验和临床病毒学杂志

Objective@#To isolate, purify and culture fibroblastic reticular cells (FRCs) of mouse in spleen, to develop a reliable and robust method to immortalize primary mouse FRCs, to filter stable FRCs cell lines, to prove that the clones can be infected by SFTSV in vitro.@*Methods@#After purifying FRCs by fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) from autoMACS-enriched stroma cells of mouse spleen, we infected FRCs by simian virus 40 large T antigen in vitro, screened the FRCs clones with puromycin, compared primary and immortalized FRCs by RNA sequencing(RNA-seq) technology, infected the clones with severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) in vitro.@*Results@#We succeed in culturing purified FRCs from spleen, isolated four stable FRCs clones, two of which have a purity of 99%, survived for more than 50 passages, express the key FRCs marker podoplanin and do not express CD31 and CD45. Clone 01 lost the typical FRCs-like morphology, the rate of expansion of which is quite different from that of primary FRCs and Clone 02. Clone 02 can be infected with SFTSV, which has the same gene expression pattern and immunophenotype with primary FRCs.@*Conclusions@#The stable FRCs clone Clone 02 has FRCs-like morphology and express key FRCs surface markers podoplanin (GP38 or PDPN) and do not express endothelial cell markers CD31 and leukocyte common antigen CD45. The RNA expression profiles identified by RNA-seq are also characteristic of FRCs. Infected with SFTSV in vitro, Clone 02 will be a new platform to study SFTSV.

Development of a luminex-based multiplexed immunoassay for detection of IgG antibodies to the viral hemorrhagic fever epidemic in Africa / 中华实验和临床病毒学杂志

Objective@#To establish a multiplexed immunoassay for detection of IgG antibodies against viral hemorrhagic fever epidemic in Africa.@*Methods@#The recombinant antigens of hemorrhagic fever viruses (HFVs) epidemic in Africa were expressed and purified, and then coupled with the fluorescent microspheres. The coupling effects were evaluated by monoplexed detection of rabbit immune sera. Blood specimens were collected from people from Africa with fever, and multiplexed detection of IgG antibodies to HFVs was performed. Comparison of multiplexed assay and ELISA was performed by paired χ2 test using SPSS software.@*Results@#Both the purity and concentration of HFVs recombinant antigen met the standards for coupling and detection, and the antigens were successfully coupled with fluorescent microspheres. Seventy-eight sera samples of people from Africa with fever were multiplex detected. Among these, one was tested positive for LASV-specific IgG, one was tested positive for LUJV-specific IgG, 4 were tested positive for DENV-specific IgG and 6 tested positive for YFV-specific IgG. There was no statistically significant difference compared with ELISA, and the two method were highly correlated.@*Conclusions@#A multiplexed luminex-based immunoassay for detection of IgG antibodies to viral hemorrhagic fever epidemic in Africa was established, which laid the foundation for the differential diagnosis.

A fluorescent bead-based multiplex PCR assay for the simultaneous detection of seven viral diseases endemic in Africa / 中华实验和临床病毒学杂志

Objective@#To establish a fluorescent bead-based multiplex assay for the simultaneous detection of seven viral diseases endemic in Africa.@*Methods@#The genomic sequences of the viral pathogens causing Rift valley fever, Yellow fever, Marburg virus disease, Ebola virus disease, Lassa fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever and Chikungunya fever were compared, PCR detection target fragments were selected, and amplification primers and hybrid probes were designed. The reference samples of related pathogens were prepared by chemical synthesis of DNA and in vitro transcription RNA. The sensitivity and stability of the detection method were evaluated. The specificity was evaluated by testing 30 samples of suspected dengue fever, and hantavirus diseases, and 32 healthy human blood samples.@*Results@#The fluorescent bead-based multiplex assay could specifically detect the corresponding pathogen, the detection limit was at a range of 102-105 copies/ μl, the specificity was 100%, and the intra-assay coefficient of variation was below 12%, and the inter-assay coefficient of variation was below 15%.@*Conclusions@#A fluorescent bead-based multiplex PCR assay for the simultaneous detection of seven viral diseases endemic in Africa was established, which may provide a new choice for the screening of suspected infectious diseases.

Clinical use of bilobed flap in repairing soft tissue defect of nose / 中国医师进修杂志

Objective To evaluate the clinical application of bilobed flap in repairing soft tissue defect of nose. Methods A consecutive series of 15 patients in which this reconstruction was performed was reviewed retrospectively, and the results studied 6 months later were evaluated. Results In all patients the results were satisfactory, with excellent cosmesis and function. There were no complications such as infection, necrosis and organ deformation. The satisfaction rate was14/15. Conclusions Bilobed flap has the characters of excellent cosmesis and function, making it an excellent choice of reconstruction of nasal defect.

Distinguish vaccine strain and wild type strain of yellow fever virus imported to China using high-throughput sequencing technology / 中华实验和临床病毒学杂志

Objective@#To identify whether the three imported yellow fever cases in China in March 2016 were infections by wild type strain of yellow fever virus in Angola in 2016, vaccine-associated disease or co-infection of both.@*Methods@#Sequences of three yellow fever virus strains were obtained by high-throughput sequencing with IonTorrent PGM platform from blood or urine samples of three yellow fever cases, and their genomic characteristics were analyzed. Then the regions with relatively great difference between the wild type strain and 17D vaccine strain were identified, and then served as the reference sequences when mapping the reads obtained by high-throughput sequencing.@*Results@#Partial yellow fever virus genomes were obtained from three samples of yellow fever patients, among them a full length coding region sequence was gained in sample 2. Comparing the genome sequences, the three newly obtained strains of yellow fever virus were highly similar to strain CNYF01R / 2016 which was isolated from the first imported yellow fever case to China in 2016 and strain Angola 71 from Angola in 1971, and they all belonged to Angola genotype of yellow fever virus. In this study, we found five regions in yellow fever virus genomes with great diversity between the vaccine strain and the wild type strain. In these five regions, a number of short reads obtained by high-throughput sequencing of the three samples were mapped to the sequence of wild type virus, while no short reads matched the vaccine strain.@*Conclusions@#There were no viral nucleic acid of 17D vaccine strain in the blood or urine samples of these three cases of yellow fever. They are all infected by wild type strains of Angola in 2016.

Development of a double antibody sandwich ELISA for detection of Chikungunya virus antigen / 中华实验和临床病毒学杂志

Objective@#To establish a method for detection of chikungunya virus(CHIKV) antigen.@*Methods@#CHIKV virus like particle(VLP), that contains all structural proteins, was prepared by baculovirus expression system. Mice and rabbits were immunized with the VLP to develop antibodies against CHIKV. A double antibody sandwich ELISA was established for detection of CHIKV antigens. The concentrations of the antibodies used and the reaction conditions were optimized. The detection limit and repeatability of the ELISA was evaluated.@*Results@#The sensitivity and specificity was estimated by 10 mimicking CHIKV sera, 90 health person sera, 40 other virus infected sera. It was show that the specificity of DAS-ELISA was 100%, the detection limit was 10 TCID50, the coefficients of variation (CV) within plate was <5%, the CV of different plates was <10%.@*Conclusions@#The double antibody sandwich ELISA established in this study can be used to detect the CHIKV antigen in acute phase serum of patient and provide a method for detection of CHIKV.

Expression of miR-634 in hepatocellular carcinoma and its effect on biological behavior of Hepatocellular carcinoma cells / 中国免疫学杂志

Objective:To detect the expression level of microRNA-634 (miR-634) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its regulatory effect on the common biological behavior of hepatocellular carcinoma cells .Methods: Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (RT qPCR) method was used to detect HCC cell lines (HepG2, SMMC7721, BEL7402, bel7404, SNU739), 69 cases of HCC tissues and matching relative quantification of miR-634 paracancerous tissues and analysis of relationship between miR-634 expression and HCC patients gender, age, tumor size, degree of differentiation, child Pugh classification, BCLC staging, portal vein tumor thrombus and liver metastasis , while building a miR-634 eukaryotic expression vector and transfected into hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines, using live cell counting kit-8 CCK-8, flow cytometric annexin V/PI double staining and Transwell experiment to detect the transfection miR-634 on cell proliferation , apoptosis and invasion effects .Results:Compared with the normal human liver cell line L-02 and hepatocellular carcinoma cells miR-634 were decreased ( PSNU739>Bel7402>Bel7404>SMMC7721;69 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma ( HCC ) of miR-634 level ( 0.253 ±0.019 ) and lower than that of the matched paracancerous tissues ( P<0.05 ) , and related with the tumor size , degree of differentiation , BCLC stage , portal vein tumor thrombus and liver metastasis ( P<0.05 ) .Over expression in the transfected group 24-96 h after miR-634 level continues to rise , control group and blank vector transfected group differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05 );and the control transfection group and blank group compared to transfection proliferation inhibition rate , apoptosis rate was increased , but wear the number of cell membrane decreased, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05).Conclusion:miR-634 in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues and cells were low expression and related to clinical pathological parameters , raised its level can inhibit the proliferation and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma cells and induce apoptosis , for the prevention and treatment of liver cancer has an important reference value .

Zika Virus and Zika Viral Disease / 病毒学报

Since Zika virus (ZIKV) has firstly been isolated in 1947, Uganda, outbreaks of Zika fever have been reported in many areas such as in Africa, Southeast Asia and America. Imported cases in China also have been reported. Zika virus belongs to the family Flaviviridae, genus Flavivirus, and include Africa subtype and Asia subtype. It is a mosquito-borne virus primarily transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Sexual transmission, Blood transmission and mother-to-fetus transmission were also reported. Zika virus can go though blood-brain barrier and infect central nervous system. Symptoms are generally mild and self-limited, but recent evidence suggests a possible association between maternal Zika virus infection and adverse fetal outcomes, such as congenital microcephaly, as well as a possible association with Guillain-Barré syndrome. Laboratorial Diagnosis includes nucleic acid detection, Serological test, and isolation of virus. Currently, no vaccine or medication exists to prevent or treat Zika virus infection. Preventive measures against Zika virus infection should be taken through prevention of mosquito bites and surveillance in epidemic area.

Effects of Lianhua Qingwen on Pulmonary Oxidative Lesions Induced by Fine Particulates (PM2.5) in Rats / 中国医学科学杂志(英文版)

Objective To investigate the antagonistic effects of different doses of Lianhua Qingwen on pulmonary injury induced by fine particulates PM2.5 in rats. Methods Fine particulates suspended in the environment were collected. Forty-eight healthy adult wistar rats were randomly divided into 6 groups with 8 rats in each group. Four groups of rats were exposed to PM2.5 by intratracheally dripping suspensions of fine particulates PM2.5 (7.5 mg/kg) as dust-exposed model rats. Among them 24 rats in three groups received Lianhua Qingwen treatment (crude drug) at a dose of 2 g/kg, 4 g/kg, 8 g/kg per day for 3 days before dust exposure and were defined as low-dose, middle-dose and high-dose Lianhua Qingwen treatment groups respectively. The other dust-exposed model rats without treatment were assigned as PM2.5 control group. The un-exposed rats were set as saline control group (1.5 ml/kg saline) and blank control group. All rats were killed after 24 hours of the exposure. Lung tissue, serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were collected. The levels of malonaldehyde (MDA), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) in blood serum and BALF, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in blood surum were measured using fluorescent quantitation PCR; Expression of NF-E2-related factor 2(NRF-2), heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) and quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) in lung tissues were measured using Western blot. Pathological changes of lung tissues in each group were also examined. Results Pathology revealed thickened alveolar septum, congestion of capillary, interstitial edema and infiltration of lymphocyte and neutrophil surrounding bronchiole in the PM2.5 control group, which were significantly relieved in the Lianhua Qingwen treatment groups. Compared to the blank and saline control groups, the PM2.5 control group had significantly higher levels of LDH and MDA (p<0.01) and lower level of GSH-PS (p<0.01) in BALF, significantly higher levels of LDH and MDA (p<0.05) and lower level of GSH-PS (p<0.05) in rat serum. The levels of MDA in blood serum and BALF were significantly lower in each treatment group than that in PM2.5 control group (all P<0.05). In both middle-dose and high-dose treatment group the measurements of LDH in serum and BALF as well as GSH-PX in serum were significant difference from those of PM2.5 control group (all P<0.05). Expressions of NRF-2, HO-1 and NQO1 in lung tissues were significantly different among middle-dose and high-dose treatment group compared with those in PM2.5 control group (all P<0.05). Conclusion Fine particulates PM2.5 in environment may induce pulmonary oxidative lesions in rats. Middle-dose and high-dose Lianhua Qingwen has antagonist effece on the injuries induced by fine particulates.

Epidemiological characteristics of Zika virus disease / 中华流行病学杂志

Zika virus disease is an emerging mosquito-borne acute infectious disease caused by Zika virus,so far there have been no available vaccine or specific treatment.Currently,the outbreaks of Zika virus disease mainly occurs in the Americas,but the regional distribution of the disease is in rapid expansion,34 countries and territories have reported autochthonous transmission of the virus.The illness is usually mild with very rarely death,but increased reports of birth defects and neurologic disorders in the areas affected by Zika virus has caused extensive concern worldwide.In China,the competent vectors for Zika virus are widely distributed,imported viraemic cases may become a source of local transmission of the virus.However,Zika virus disease is preventable,the spread of virus could be stopped when the effective prevention measures are taken.This paper summarizes the retrieval results from Medline database and the information from the reports of the governments of countries affected or health organizations about the epidemiological characteristics of Zika virus disease.

Relaxant effects of ethanol extract from Rhodiola crenulata in isolated rat thoracic aortic rings / 国际中医中药杂志

Objective To investigate the relaxant effects of ethanol extract fromRhodiola crenulata (Hook.f.et Thoms.) H.Ohba in isolated rat thoracic aorta and its possible mechanisms.MethodsThe thoracic aortas from male Sprague-Dawley rats were isolated and cut into 3- to 4-mm-wide transverse rings, and the tension in endothelium-intact or endothelium-denuded aortic rings was recorded. The relaxant effects of ethanol extract fromRhodiola crenulata in various concentrations (100, 300, 500, 700, 900, and 1 100 mg/L) in aortic rings precontracted with phenylephrine (1 μmol/L) were observed. The effects of pretreatment with soluble guanylyl cyclase inhibitor ODQ (10 μmol/L) on the relaxant effects of ethanol extract fromRhodiola crenulata were observed. The effects of ethanol extract fromRhodiola crenulataon calcium-induced contractions in calcium-free high-potassium medium and phenylephrine-induced contractions in calcium-free medium were also observed.ResultsEthanol extract fromRhodiola crenulatashowed a concentration-dependent relaxation in aortic rings precontracted with phenylephrine. The maximal relaxations of ethanol extract fromRhodiola crenulataln endothelium-intact or endothelium-denuded aortic rings were 57.4% ± 21.81% and 60.51% ± 0.34%, respectively, with a half-maximal effective concentration of 1 062.88 mg/L. The relaxant effects of ethanol extract fromRhodiola crenulatawere not statistically inhibited by pretreatment with ODQ (P>0.05). Contractions of aortic rings resulted from phenylephrine-induced Ca2+ release from intracellular stores in calcium-free medium or high potassium-induced influx of Ca2+ in calcium-free high-potassium medium were significantly inhibited by ethanol extract fromRhodiola crenulata(allP<0.05).ConclusionEthanol extract fromRhodiola crenulatahas a concentration-dependent vasorelaxation, its mechanisms may be involved in blocking extracellular Ca2+ influx and intracellular Ca2+ release.

Infection of the Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus in Balb/C Mice and Hamsters / 病毒学报

The severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) is the causative pathogen of an emerging infectious disease severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome and a new member in the genus Phlebovirus of family Bunyaviridae. Immune responses and pathological lesions in SFTSV-infected Balb/C mice and hamsters were evaluated by inoculation of SFTSV at 105 TCID50 or 103 TCID50 per animal through four different routes of infection, including intravenous, intramuscular, intraperitoneal, and intracerebral injections. The vehicle control groups were also included. At different time points after the inoculation blood and plasma samples were collected. Blood cell counts, blood viral RNA copies, and plasma antibodies were detected by automatic blood cell counters, real-time PCR, and luminex assays, respectively. At two weeks post inoculation, the animals were sacrificed. Tissues including heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, intestine, muscle, and brain, were collected for pathological analyses. Results showed that the SFTSV could infect Balb/C mice and hamsters with SFTSV-specific immunoglobulin (Ig) M and IgG antibodies detected in plasma samples on day 7 post inoculation. The SFTSV-specific IgM levels peaked on day 7 post inoculation and then decreased, whereas the SFTSV-specific IgG levels started to increase on day 7 and then peaked on day 14 post inoculation. Pathological analyses indicated significant pathological lesions in liver and kidney tissues. In conclusion, SFTSV could can infect different strains of rodent animals and cause similar immunological and pathological responses.