Immune protective mechanism of rMOMP protein ophthalmic vaccine regarding intraocular hypertension and retinal optic nerve injury in rats.

The aim of this study was to explore the immune protective mechanism of rMOMP protein vaccine in intraocular hypertension and retinal optic nerve injury in rats. The rMOMP protein ophthalmic vaccine was prepared and quality-controlled. Sixty normal adult SD rats were randomly divided into two groups to establish a chronic ocular hypertension model and an optic nerve injury model. The model rats were vaccinated with rMOMP-CS ophthalmic vaccine. Fluorogold retrograde tracing was used to observe retinal ganglion cells, and an immunofluorescence method to determine the expression of retinal GAP43, CD3, BDNF, and GDNF. rMOMP protein ophthalmic vaccine met the requirements for medicinal use. The number of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) of the rMOMP-CS group in the chronic ocular hypertension model was significantly higher than that of the CS group (P < 0.05). The count of RGCs of the rMOMP-CS group in the optic nerve clamping injury model was significantly higher than that of the CS group (P < 0.01). Thus, rMOMP protein ophthalmic vaccine can induce an increase in the expression of retinal neurotrophic factors, thereby exerting a protective effect on damaged retinal optic nerve.

A polymerase chain reaction assay for detecting snails infected with bilharzia parasites (Schistosoma mansoni) from very early prepatency.

In the present study, we adapted a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay, previously shown by us to be very sensitive for detecting cercariae in water, for the sensitive detection of Schistosoma mansoni DNA in infected snails from early prepatency. Polymerase chain reaction primers were designed based on the 121-basepair highly repeated sequence we previously identified in the genome of S. mansoni. The DNA was prepared from the snails by a simple alkaline extraction procedure, and the PCR assay enabled a clear differentiation between infected and normal snails. Infected snails were detected as early as one day after penetration of a single miracidium. The high sensitivity of the test enabled identification of a single infected snail even when its DNA was pooled with material from up to 99 uninfected snails, thus demonstrating the possibility of mass diagnosis in pools of snails. The assay has the potential for large-scale determination of prepatent infection prevalence in snails, thus offering new possibilities for the evaluation of schistosomiasis transmission and for schistosomiasis control, as discussed.

[Behavior therapy of schizophrenia patients during convalescent period].

58 of schizophrenia patients at restoration stage in the hospital were studied. The ineffective adaptive behaviors were assessed and behavior therapy plans were made. The behavior therapy was provided in group or individually. The result indicated that patients' ineffective adaptive behaviors such as laziness, passive, withdrawal, role conflict, sexual dysfunction, ineffective adaptation in the society, and aggressive were improved a lot than those before receiving therapy (P < 0.01).

[The amplification of c-myc, N-ras, c-erb B oncogenes in ovarian malignancies].

In this study, [a-32p]dATP labelled probes of c-myc, N-ras and c-erb B genes were employed to perform dot blot hybridisation with DNA extracted from 17 cases of primary ovarian cancer, 3 cases of recurrent ovarian cancer, 2 cases of germ cell ovarian cancer, 5 cases of serous cysadonoma and 4 cases of normal ovarian tissue. Some specimens were examined by Southern blot hybridisation. The results showed varying degrees of amplification: c-myc 54.5%, N-ras 64.1% and c-erb B 31.8%, in the 22 cases of ovarian malignancies. All were significantly higher than in the three benign tumours and in normal ovarian tissue. Frequency of amplification of more than 2 oncogencis at the same time was found to be 40.9%. There was a negative correlation between amplification of c-myc and differentiation. A relatively high amplification of N-ras was present in late stage ovarian cancer. Patients with c-erb B amplification showed a shorter survival period than those without amplification.