Clinical Etiologies of Fever of Unknown Origin in 500 Cases.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the distribution and change of the causes of fever of unknown origin(FUO). METHODS: The clinical data of 500 inpatients with FUO in our center between December 2003 and June 2014 were retrospectively analyzed. The diagnostic methods,etiologies,and their possible relationship with age,sex,fever duration,and period. RESULTS: Of these 500 FUO patients,452(90.4%)were confirmed to be with fever caused by conditions including infectious diseases [(n=231,46.2%;e.g.tuberculosis(32.9%,76/231)],connective tissue diseases(CTD)(n=99,19.8%),neoplasms(n=58,11.6%),miscellaneous causes(n=64,12.8%). The causes were not identified in 48 cases(9.6%).The proportion of CTD in female patients was significantly higher than that in male patients(26.3% vs. 14.5%,P=0.025),whereas the proportion of neoplasms in male patients was significantly higher than that in female patients(14.5% vs. 8.0%,P=0.001). Infectious diseases was the most common cause in all age groups,CTD ranked the second in the 21-39-year group and 40-59-year group,and neoplasm was the second most coomon cause in the over 60 year group. Thus,the distribution of FUO etiologies significantly differed in different age groups(χ(2)=43.10,P=0.000). The duration of fever in patients with neoplasms [60(28,90)d] was longer than that in patients with infectious diseases [28(21,42)d,Z=-4.168,P=0.000] or CTD [30(21,60)d,Z=-2.406,P=0.016)]. Compared with the level in 2003-2008,the proportion of CTD significantly increased in 2009-2014(13.7% vs. 23.8%,χ(2)=8.598,P=0.003),along with the dicrease of the proportions of infectious diseases,neoplasms and miscellaneous diseases were decreased(all P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Infectious diseases(in particular,tuberculosis)remains the major cause of FUO. CTD and neoplasms also play important roles in the development of FUO. The distributions of the FUO etiologies have certain differences in terms of age,sex,duration of fever,and period.

[Role of transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 and C-C chemokine receptor 2 in renal injury induced by salt-sensitive hype].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) channel ablation and a chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) antagonist on salt-sensitive hypertension-induced renal injury. METHODS: Wild-type (WT) and TRPV1-null mutant (TRPV1(-/-)) mice were subjected to uninephrectomy and deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt treatment for 4 weeks with or without a CCR2 antagonist, RS504393 (n=8 for all the 4 groups). Sham WT and TRPV1(-/-) mice (both n=7) underwent uninephrectomy without receiving DOCA and saline. Systolic blood pressure, urinary excretion of albumin, 8-isoprostane and creatinine clearance for 24 hours were assayed during the experimental period and at the end of the 4-week treatment. The morphological analysis was performed in renal histological sections, including glomerulosclerosis, tubulointerstitial injury, and monocyte/macrophage infiltration. RESULTS: Compared to the corresponding control mice, DOCA-salt treatment in both WT and TRPV1(-/-) mice led to increased systolic blood pressure (SBP), enhanced urinary excretion of albumin and 8-isoprostane, decreased creatinine clearance, increased glomerulosclerosis and tubulointerstitial injury associated with enhanced monocyte/macrophage infiltration (all P<0.05), all of which were much more severe in TRPV1(-/-) mice compared to WT mice with the exception of blood pressure (all P<0.05). RS5043943 attenuated DOCA-salt-induced changes in renal function and morphology in WT and TRPV1(-/-) mice (all P<0.05). There was no difference in blood pressure among DOCA-salt WT and TRPV1(-/-) mice with or without RS505393 with the exception of sham WT and TRPV1(-/-) mice (all P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: CCR2 antagonist inhibits DOCA-salt-induced renal injury and monocyte/macrophage infiltration in WT and TRPV1(-/-) mice with the greater in the latter strain. Activation of TRPV1 attenuates salt-sensitive hypertension-induced renal injury possibly via inhibition of CCR2-induced monocyte/macrophage infiltration.

Generation of quantum-dot cluster States with a superconducting transmission line resonator.

We propose an efficient method to generate cluster states in spatially separated double quantum dots with a superconducting transmission line resonator. When the detuning between the double-dot qubit transition frequency and the frequency of the full wave mode in the transmission line resonator satisfies some conditions, an Ising-like operator between an arbitrary two separated qubits can be achieved. Even including the main noise sources, it is shown that the high fidelity cluster states could be generated in this solid system in just one step.

Molecular phylogeny of Stentor (Ciliophora: Heterotrichea) based on small subunit ribosomal RNA sequences.

To determine the phylogenetic position of Stentor within the Class Heterotrichea, the complete small subunit rRNA genes of three Stentor species, namely Stentor polymorphus, Stentor coeruleus, and Stentor roeseli, were sequenced and used to construct phylogenetic trees using the maximum parsimony, neighbor joining, and Bayesian analysis. With all phylogenetic methods, the genus Stentor was monophyletic, with S. roeseli branching basally.

Reevaluation of the phylogenetic relationship between mobilid and sessilid peritrichs (Ciliophora, Oligohymenophorea) based on small subunit rRNA genes sequences.

Based on morphological characters, peritrich ciliates (Class Olygohymenophorea, Subclass Peritrichia) have been subdivided into the Orders Sessilida and Mobilida. Molecular phylogenetic studies on peritrichs have been restricted to members of the Order Sessilida. In order to shed more light into the evolutionary relationships within peritrichs, the complete small subunit rRNA (SSU rRNA) sequences of four mobilid species, Trichodina nobilis, Trichodina heterodentata, Trichodina reticulata, and Trichodinella myakkae were used to construct phylogenetic trees using maximum parsimony, neighbor joining, and Bayesian analyses. Whatever phylogenetic method used, the peritrichs did not constitute a monophyletic group: mobilid and sessilid species did not cluster together. Similarity in morphology but difference in molecular data led us to suggest that the oral structures of peritrichs are the result of evolutionary convergence. In addition, Trichodina reticulata, a Trichodina species with granules in the center of the adhesive disc, branched separately from its congeners, Trichodina nobilis and Trichodina heterodentata, trichodinids without such granules. This indicates that granules in the adhesive disc might be a phylogenetic character of high importance within the Family Trichodinidae.