[Impact of water body environments on the microbial community of Oncomelania hupensis snails in marshlands around the eastern Dongting Lake].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of water body environments on the microbial community of Oncomelania hupensis snails in marshlands of the eastern Dongting Lake where natural extinction of O. hupensis snails are found, so as to explore the correlation between the natural extinction of O. hupensis snails and the microbial community in snails. METHODS: Snails were caged water bodies in the Qianliang Lake marshland (Qianliang Lake regions) where natural extinction of snails was found and in the Junshan Park marshland (Junshan Park regions) in the eastern Dongting Lake for 30 days, and then all snails were collected and identified for survival or death. DNA sequencing of the fungi and bacteria was performed in snails before and after immersion in waters, and the biodiversity and abundance were analyzed. RESULTS: The survival rates of O. hupensis snails were 28.0% (70/250) and 64.8% (162/250) in Qianliang Lake regions and Junshan Park regions 30 days after immersion in waters, respectively (χ2 = 81.365, P < 0.01). The number of the fungal community and the biodiversity of the bacterial community were both greater in snails caged in Qianliang Lake regions post-immersion than pre-immersion, and there was a significant difference in the structure of the fungal and bacterial communities. The microbial community with a significant difference included Flavobacteriaceae,which was harmful to O. hupensis snails. CONCLUSIONS: The water body environment affects the composition of the microbial community in O. hupensis snails in marshlands with natural snail distinction around the eastern Dongting Lake; however, further studies are required to investigate whether the natural distinction of snails is caused by water body environments-induced changes of the microbial spectrum in O. hupensis snails.

Expression of CD63 in Lung Tissue of Guinea Pigs Dying of Anaphylactic Shock.

ABSTRACT: Objective To study the protein expression of cluster of differentiation 63 （CD63） in lung tissues of guinea pigs that died of anaphylactic shock and discuss the diagnostic value of CD63 for death from anaphylactic shock. Methods Twenty guinea pigs were randomly divided into control group, anaphylactic shock immediate death group, cold storage group （4 ℃ for 48 h） and frozen group （-20 ℃ for 7 d）. The animal model of guinea pigs that died of anaphylactic shock was established with human mixed serum injection. The expression changes of CD63 protein and CD63 mRNA in lung tissues were detected by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining, immunohistochemical staining, Western blotting, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） and real-time RT-PCR. Results HE staining results showed congestion, and edema of lung tissues, and eosinophil infiltration in the anaphylactic shock groups. Western blotting analysis results showed that the expression of CD63 protein in the lung tissues of guinea pigs that died of anaphylactic shock was significantly higher than that in the control group （P<0.05）. Comparison between the anaphylactic shock groups was made, and the differences had no statistical significance. The results of immunohistochemical staining and real-time RT-PCR were consistent with that of Western blotting. ELISA results showed that CD63 protein expression in the immediate death group was higher than that in the control group （P<0.05）. Conclusion The expression of CD63 protein and CD63 mRNA in the lung tissues of guinea pigs that died of anaphylactic shock is significantly enhanced. Animal carcasses which were put in cold storage for 48 h and frozen for 7 d do not affect the examination of the above indicators. CD63 protein is expected to become an auxiliary diagnostic indicator of death from anaphylactic shock.

[Application of IMA and H-FABP in Forensic Diagnosis of Sudden Cardiac Death].

Acute myocardial ischemia is the most common cause of sudden cardiac death. The diagnosis of early myocardial ischemia is a hot point in forensic medicine, which is also an early and important part for a prevention against myocardial infarction. This paper conducts a comprehensive discussion of the structure, function, clinical value and forensic medicine application prospect of ischemia modified albumin （IMA） and heart-type fatty acid binding protein （H-FABP), aiming to determine whether the two proteins can be used as biochemical detection indicators of early myocardial ischemia for the diagnosis of sudden cardiac death in forensic medicine.

[Time-dependent Protein Expressions of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in Liver Contusion Rats after Impact].

OBJECTIVES: To observe the protein expression patterns of matrix metalloproteinase （MMP）-2 and MMP-9 in the liver tissue of liver contusion rats at different time after impact. METHODS: Fifty healthy adult male SD rats were randomly and evenly divided into control group and experimental groups （1 h, 3 h, 6 h, 12 h, 18 h, 24 h, 3 d, 5 d, 7 d after liver contusion）. A rat liver contusion model was established by a free-falling device. The rats were killed at corresponding time, and the contused hepatic lobes were extracted. The protein expressions of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in contused liver tissue of the rats in each group were observed by immunohistochemical staining （SP method） and Western blotting. RESULTS: After the liver contusion, the expression of positive cell and the protein semiquantitative result showed that the protein expression of MMP-2 enhanced at 6 h and peaked at 24 h, then decreased gradually at 3-5 d, and returned to normal levels at 7 d. The difference of expression between group and its previous adjacent group after 6 h （except 18 h） had statistical significance （P<0.05）. The protein expression of MMP-9 rose obviously at 1 h after liver contusion and peaked at 18 h, then decreased gradually at 3-7 d which still higher than control group. The expression difference between group and its previous adjacent group （except 12 h and 24 h） had statistical significance （P<0.05）. CONCLUSIONS: The protein expressions of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in contused liver tissue after impact show good time-dependent patterns, which may provide important reference indicators for the time estimation of liver contusion.

Relationship between zinc and the growth and development of young children.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between zinc and the growth and development of young children. The parents of 8102 young children were surveyed in person by a trained surveyor using structured questionnaires. The hair zinc concentration of the children was determined using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The height, weight, sitting height, and head circumference of the children were measured at follow-up visits. There was a positive correlation between hair zinc concentration and adaptive developmental quotient (ADQ; r = 0.3164, P = 0.0272) while no correlation was found between hair zinc concentration and body measurement Z scores or intelligence quotient (IQ). There was a strong positive correlation between hair zinc concentration and weight-for-age Z scores (r = 0.3618, P = 0.0416) and ADQ (r = 0.2761, P = 0.0387) in boys; there was no correlation between hair zinc concentration and body measurement Z scores, IQ, and ADQ in girls. In boys with normal hair zinc levels, ADQ was 9.58 (P = 0.0392), higher than in boys who had zinc-deficient hair. In girls with normal hair zinc levels, ADQ was 2.52 (P = 0.0296), lower than in girls with zinc-deficient hair. In conclusion, there is no significant correlation between hair zinc levels and IQ or Z scores for all body measurements in young children.

Withaferin A attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury in neonatal rats.

Withaferin A (WFA) is an active compound from Withania somnifera and has been reported to exhibit a variety of pharmacological activities such as anti—inflammatory, immunomodulatory and anti—tumor properties. In the present study, we investigated the potential protective role of WFA on acute lung injury in neonatal rats induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We found that WFA significantly attenuated the pathological changes of lungs induced by LPS injection. Administration with WFA obviously decreased pulmonary neutrophil infiltration accompanied with decreased MPO concentrations. WFA also reduced the expression of pro—inflammatory cytokines including MIP—2, TNF—α, IL—1β and IL—6. Meanwhile, the expression levels of anti—inflammatory mediators such as TGF—β1 and IL—10 were significantly increased following WFA administration. Moreover, WFA protected LPS—treated rats from oxidative damage via up—regulation of TBARS and H2O2 concentrations and down—regulation of ROS contents. Taken together, the present study demonstrated that WFA administration attenuated LPS—induced lung injury through inhibition of inflammatory responses and oxidative stress.

HLA-B*13:01 and the dapsone hypersensitivity syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Dapsone is used in the treatment of infections and inflammatory diseases. The dapsone hypersensitivity syndrome, which is associated with a reported mortality of 9.9%, develops in about 0.5 to 3.6% of persons treated with the drug. Currently, no tests are available to predict the risk of the dapsone hypersensitivity syndrome. METHODS: We performed a genomewide association study involving 872 participants who had received dapsone as part of multidrug therapy for leprosy (39 participants with the dapsone hypersensitivity syndrome and 833 controls), using log-additive tests of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and imputed HLA molecules. For a replication analysis, we genotyped 24 SNPs in an additional 31 participants with the dapsone hypersensitivity syndrome and 1089 controls and performed next-generation sequencing for HLA-B and HLA-C typing at four-digit resolution in an independent series of 37 participants with the dapsone hypersensitivity syndrome and 201 controls. RESULTS: Genomewide association analysis showed that SNP rs2844573, located between the HLA-B and MICA loci, was significantly associated with the dapsone hypersensitivity syndrome among patients with leprosy (odds ratio, 6.18; P=3.84×10(-13)). HLA-B*13:01 was confirmed to be a risk factor for the dapsone hypersensitivity syndrome (odds ratio, 20.53; P=6.84×10(-25)). The presence of HLA-B*13:01 had a sensitivity of 85.5% and a specificity of 85.7% as a predictor of the dapsone hypersensitivity syndrome, and its absence was associated with a reduction in risk by a factor of 7 (from 1.4% to 0.2%). HLA-B*13:01 is present in about 2 to 20% of Chinese persons, 1.5% of Japanese persons, 1 to 12% of Indians, and 2 to 4% of Southeast Asians but is largely absent in Europeans and Africans. CONCLUSIONS: HLA-B*13:01 was associated with the development of the dapsone hypersensitivity syndrome among patients with leprosy. (Funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and others.).

Reduction of ordering temperature of self-assembled FePt nanoparticles by addition of Au and Ag.

The [FePt]94Au6 and [FePt]90Ag10 nanoparticle arrays were synthesized on Si substrates by a reverse micellar method, combined with plasma treatment and in-situ deposition of a SiO2 overlayer, and the post annealing step was performed to drive the face-centered cubic to tetragonal phase transition. These FePt nanoparticles exhibit a quasi-hexagonal order with tailored inter-particle spacing and particle size. The effects of the Ag and Au on the structural and magnetic properties of FePt were investigated. The results indicate that both Au and Ag additives can remarkably enhance the coercivity and reduce the ordering temperature, however, the optimum composition is different for them. The optimum composition is determined to be [FePt]94Au6 and [FePt]90Ag10, respectively, for which the ordering temperature of FePt nanoparticles is reduced by -100 degrees C. After 600 degrees C annealing, the [FePt]94Au6 and [FePt]90Ag10 nanoparticles are totally ferromagnetic with apparent larger coercivities of -7.0 kOe, which is about 3.8 kOe larger than that of the pure FePt nanoparticles. The mechanism of the chemical ordering acceleration may be attributed to the defects and strains caused by the Au/Ag additives.

Effects of hydrogen plasma treatment on the electrical and optical properties of ZnO films: identification of hydrogen donors in ZnO.

Wurtzite ZnO has many potential applications in optoelectronic devices, and the hydrogenated ZnO exhibits excellent photoelectronic properties compared to undoped ZnO; however, the structure of H-related defects is still unclear. In this article, the effects of hydrogen-plasma treatment and subsequent annealing on the electrical and optical properties of ZnO films were investigated by a combination of Hall measurement, Raman scattering, and photoluminescence. It is found that two types of hydrogen-related defects, namely, the interstitial hydrogen located at the bond-centered (H(BC)) and the hydrogen trapped at a O vacancy (H(O)), are responsible for the n-type background conductivity of ZnO films. Besides introducing two hydrogen-related donor states, the incorporated hydrogen passivates defects at grain boundaries. With increasing annealing temperatures, the unstable H(BC) atoms gradually diffuse out of the ZnO films and part of them are converted into H(O), which gives rise to two anomalous Raman peaks at 275 and 510 cm(-1). These results help to clarify the relationship between the hydrogen-related defects in ZnO described in various studies and the free carriers that are produced by the introduction of hydrogen.

Localized-Surface-Plasmon Enhanced the 357 nm Forward Emission from ZnMgO Films Capped by Pt Nanoparticles.

The Pt nanoparticles (NPs), which posses the wider tunable localized-surface-plasmon (LSP) energy varying from deep ultraviolet to visible region depending on their morphology, were prepared by annealing Pt thin films with different initial mass-thicknesses. A sixfold enhancement of the 357 nm forward emission of ZnMgO was observed after capping with Pt NPs, which is due to the resonance coupling between the LSP of Pt NPs and the band-gap emission of ZnMgO. The other factors affecting the ultraviolet emission of ZnMgO, such as emission from Pt itself and light multi-scattering at the interface, were also discussed. These results indicate that Pt NPs can be used to enhance the ultraviolet emission through the LSP coupling for various wide band-gap semiconductors.

Composition deviation of arrays of FePt nanoparticles starting from poly(styrene)-poly(4-vinylpyridine) micelles.

Ordered arrays of FePt nanoparticles were prepared using a diblock polymer micellar method combined with plasma treatment. Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy analyses reveal that the molar ratios of Fe to Pt in metal-salt-loaded micelles deviate from those when metal precursors are added, and that the plasma treatment processes have little influence upon the compositions of the resulting FePt nanoparticles. The results from Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy show that the maximum loadings of FeCl(3) and H(2)PtCl(6) inside poly(styrene)-poly(4-vinylpyridine) micelles are different. The composition deviation of FePt nanoparticles is attributed to the fact that one FeCl(3) molecule coordinates with a single 4-vinylpyridine (4VP) unit, while two neighboring and uncomplexed 4VP units are required for one H(2)PtCl(6) molecule. Additionally, we demonstrate that the center-to-center distances of the neighboring FePt nanoparticles can also be tuned by varying the drawing velocity.

Detection and identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by DNA amplification.

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to identify mycobacterial DNA sequences in uncultured clinical specimens. Two oligonucleotide primers derived from the sequence of a gene that codes for the 65-kilodalton antigen of Mycobacterium tuberculosis amplified DNA from all 11 species of mycobacteria tested. Amplified DNAs of nontuberculosis mycobacteria were found to be approximately 20 to 40 bases shorter than those from M. tuberculosis and Mycobacterium bovis BCG. DNA equivalent to that present in as few as 40 M. tuberculosis cells either alone or in the presence of DNA equivalent to that in 10(6) human cells could be detected. Results from analysis of cultured bacteria and clinical specimens showed PCR was sensitive and specific both in detecting mycobacteria and in differentiating M. tuberculosis and BCG from other species of mycobacteria. The PCR method with the primers reported here may become a useful tool in the early and rapid detection of mycobacterial infections in uncultured clinical specimens.