[X-linked neutropenia caused by gain-of-function mutation in WAS gene: two cases report and literature review]

Objective: To investigate the clinical and genotypic manifestations of X-linked neutropenia caused by gain-of-function mutation in WAS gene. Methods: The clinical history of two patients with X-linked neutropenia caused by gain-of-function mutation in WAS gene in Shenzhen Children's Hospital were analyzed."X-linked neutropenia" and "WAS mutation" were used as key words to search related literatures published from January 2000 to December 2018 in CNKI,Wanfang, and Pubmed databases. Results: The first case was male,1 year old, admitted for 1 year of neutropenia combined with 5 days of cough and 3 days of fever. Persistent neutropenia (0.1×10(9)-0.3×10(9)/L) was reported before admission and during hospitalization (0.4×10(9)-0.5×10(9)/L). The patient was treated with Ciprofloxacin, cefoperazone sulbactam and Vancomycin,and relieved from fever after 4 weeks of hospitalization,yet the neutropenia (0.1×10(9)-0.6×10(9)/L) continued after discharge. Variant in WAS gene (c.T869C (p.I290T) ) was identified, and the percentage of WAS protein on lymphocyte was 97.7%. The second case was male, 42 days old,admitted for fever and neutropenia (0.5×10(9)/L). Similarly,he relieved from fever after 4 weeks of treatment with amoxicillin sulbactam,vancomysin,meropenem,rifampin and isoniacid,yet was discharged with continued neutropenia. Variant in WAS gene (c.T881C (p.I294T)) was identified and the percentage of WAS protein on lymphocyte was 92%. Published literature reported four variants,including I290T, L270P, S272P and I294T, as the pathogenic mutation of X-linked neutropenia in 18 patients from five families. Neutropenia (0.1×10(9)-1.0×10(9)/L) were reported in 15 patients,while normal neutrophil number was found in the rest. Recurrent infection,mainly pneumonia and otitis media,was the most common clinical manifestation. Conclusions: Neutropenia is the prominent presentation in the patients with X-linked neutropenia caused by gain-of-function mutation in WAS gene, but it unnecessarily correlates with the clinical severity in terms of infection. Gene sequencing should be considered for the male patients with persistent neutropenia.

[Effect of miR-21 on the expression of interleukin-10 in B cell of patients with Henoch-Schonlein purpura]

Objective: To investigate the effect of microRNAs (miR)-21 on the expression of interleukin (IL)-10 in B cell of patients with Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP). Methods: From March 2016 to January 2017, twenty-four children with HSP hospitalized in rheumatology and immunology department of Shenzhen Children's Hospital were enrolled into the study, including 12 males and 12 females. Patients were divided into purpura nephritis group (HSPN, 14 cases) and non-nephritis group (NHSPN, 10 cases). The age-matched 34 healthy children were included as the control group for prospective cohort study. The expression levels of IL-10 in peripheral blood B cells (CD19(+)), transitional B cells (CD19(+) CD24(hi)CD38(hi)) and naïve B cells (CD19(+)CD24(int)CD38(int)) from patients with HSP and healthy children were detected by flow cytometry (FCM). Expression of microRNAs related to IL-10 in B cells were quantitated by real-time PCR, including miR-21-5p, miR-106a-5p, miR-98-3p, miR-142-3p, miR-142-5p, miR-98-5p, miR-155-5p and miR-let7b-5p. Agomir negative control-FAM and agomir-21-5p-FAM were transfected into B cells from patients with HSP. The uptake of miRNA by B cells was observed by laser scanning confocal microscope and FCM, and the expression of IL-10 was detected by FCM after transfection. For quantitative data of normal distribution, t test was used for two samples comparison and multiple comparisons among three groups were conducted by ANOVA. Spearman test was used for correlation analysis. Results: (1) The CD19(+) B cells and its two populations at different differentiation stages all could express IL-10. The expression levels of IL-10 in three B cell populations in patients were significantly lower than those in healthy controls (1.4±0.2 vs. 2.4±0.3, t=3.501, P<0.01; 1.2±0.2 vs. 2.2±0.3, t=2.688, P<0.05; 1.6±0.3 vs. 2.7±0.4, t=2.498, P<0.05). Compared with healthy control and NHSPN groups, the expression of IL-10 in CD19(+) B cells from patients within HSPN group was the lowest, and the difference was statistically significant (1.1±0.2 vs. 2.4±0.3, 1.8±0.3, t=4.006, 2.362, P<0.001, P<0.05). (2) The expression of miR-21-5p in B cell in patients with HSPN was lower than that in healthy control group (1.2±0.9 vs. 3.5±2.8, t=2.962, P<0.01). There was no significant change in the other microRNAs. (3) The expression of IL-10 was positively correlated with the expression of miR-21-5p in the B cells of patients with HSP (r=0.778, P<0.001). (4) The expression of IL-10 in B cells of miR-21-5p group was significantly higher than that in negative control group (2.7±0.2 vs. 1.6±0.3, t=3.091, P<0.05). Conclusion: The insufficient expression of miR-21-5p in peripheral blood B cells of patients with HSP is one of the reasons for the reduction of IL-10 expression in B cells.

[Application of reflux symptom index in diagnosis of allergic patients with laryngopharyngeal reflux]

Objective:To explore the diagnostic value and optimal diagnostic threshold of reflux symptom index(RSI) in allergic patients with laryngopharyngeal reflux. Method: All the adult allergic patients with respiratory tract symptoms completed the RSI with the consent of the patients. A total of 150 patients with RSI＞13 were screened out. The LPR patients were confirmed by 24 h pH-metry of pharyngo-laryngoesophageal (allergic group). The same number of non allergic laryngeal reflux patients were selected as control group (non allergic group). The ratio of RSI＞13 to LPR was calculated. The total score of RSI and each score were compared between the allergic group and the non allergic group. ROC curve was used to analyze the highly suspicious RSI score thresholds for patients with reflux laryngitis. Result:Only 53(35.33%) of 150 patients with RSI＞13 were diagnosed as LPR after 24 h pH-metry test in allergic patients. Among the 9 symptoms of RSI, the scores of 6 symptoms in allergic group were significantly higher than those in non allergic group(P<0.05). The average RSI score of allergic group was 23.57±3.17. The average RSI score of non allergic group was 17.57±2.64. The total score of allergic group was higher than that of non allergic group(P<0.05). According to the RSI score ROC curve of allergic group, the area under 95% confidence interval curve was 0.815. RSI had certain diagnostic accuracy for allergic patients with LPR. The best critical value of RSI score for allergic patients with LPR was 18, the sensitivity was 94.3%, and the specificity was 56.7%. Conclusion:RSI can be used to screen allergic patients with LPR, diagnostic score threshold RSI＞18 points, has a certain diagnostic accuracy.

[Correlation between both neck/shoulder and low back pain and daily behavioral habits among middle school students in Shenzhen]

Objective: To study the relations between neck/shoulder or low back pain and their daily behavioral habits among middle school students in Shenzhen. Methods: We randomly chose 3 952 students from 10 high schools in Shenzhen to complete the questionnaires. Data was gathered and analyzed, using the IBM SPSS 23.0. Results: Of the 3 952 participants, 20.3% had neck/shoulder pain and 15.2% had low back pain. Among students experienced neck/shoulder pain, female (25.3%), high school (24.5%) and boarding students (24.4%) experienced higher rates of neck/shoulder pain (P<0.05). Female students (17.9%) also had higher rate of low back pain (P<0.05). Results from logistic regression analysis showed that factors as: gender, type of school, taking naps on the desk, staying up late, self-perceived stress from learning, overloading homework, time spent on mobile phone and TV, spending long time on computer etc. were related to the neck/shoulder pain (P<0.05). Factors as: gender, naps on the desk, stay up late, self-perceived stress, overloading homework, time spent on mobile phone and TV etc., were related to low back pain (P<0.05). Conclusion: Neck/shoulder pain and low back pain were both commonly seen while high self-perceived stress, sedentary behaviors and poor sleeping habits were associated with both neck/shoulder and low back pain in high school students in Shenzhen.

Ultralow-Temperature Thermal Conductivity of the Kitaev Honeycomb Magnet α-RuCl_{3} across the Field-Induced Phase Transition

Recently, there have been increasingly hot debates on whether there exists a quantum spin liquid in the Kitaev honeycomb magnet α-RuCl_{3} in a high magnetic field. To investigate this issue, we perform ultralow-temperature thermal conductivity measurements on single crystals of α-RuCl_{3} down to 80 mK and up to 9 T. Our experiments clearly show a field-induced phase transition occurring at μ_{0}H_{c}≈7.5  T, above which the magnetic order is completely suppressed. The minimum of thermal conductivity at 7.5 T is attributed to the strong scattering of phonons by magnetic fluctuations. Most importantly, above 7.5 T, we do not observe any significant contribution of thermal conductivity from gapless magnetic excitations, which puts a strong constraint on the nature of the high-field phase of α-RuCl_{3}.

[Strategy for minimally invasive cochlear implantation and residual hearing preservation]

In the past few decades, considerable development was achieved in the cochlear implantation following the emergence of innovative electrode array and advances in minimally invasive surgery. Minimally invasive technique led to a better preservation of residual low-frequency hearing. The loss of residual hearing was caused by complicated factors. According to previous studies, a slower and stable speed of electrode insertion and the use of perioperative steroids were demonstrated to have a positive impact on hearing preservation. The selection of electrode array or its insertion approaches didn't show any distinctive benefits in hearing preservation.

A prominent glycyl radical enzyme in human gut microbiomes metabolizes trans-4-hydroxy-l-proline

The human microbiome encodes vast numbers of uncharacterized enzymes, limiting our functional understanding of this community and its effects on host health and disease. By incorporating information about enzymatic chemistry into quantitative metagenomics, we determined the abundance and distribution of individual members of the glycyl radical enzyme superfamily among the microbiomes of healthy humans. We identified many uncharacterized family members, including a universally distributed enzyme that enables commensal gut microbes and human pathogens to dehydrate trans-4-hydroxy-l-proline, the product of the most abundant human posttranslational modification. This "chemically guided functional profiling" workflow can therefore use ecological context to facilitate the discovery of enzymes in microbial communities.

Optical directional amplification in a three-mode optomechanical system

We study the directional amplification of an optical probe field in a three-mode optomechanical system, where the mechanical resonator interacts with two linearly-coupled optical cavities and the cavities are driven by strong optical pump fields. The optical probe field is injected into one of the cavity modes, and at the same time, the mechanical resonator is subject to a mechanical drive with the driving frequency equal to the frequency difference between the optical probe and pump fields. We show that the transmission of the probe field can be amplified in one direction and de-amplified in the opposite direction. This directional amplification or de-amplification results from the constructive or destruction interference between different transmission paths in this three-mode optomechanical system.

[Analysis of the SLC26A4 mutation from 230 deafness patients in Guangxi region]

Objective:To investigate the mutation characteristics of SLC26A4 gene from 230 hearing loss patients in Guangxi region.Method:Two hundred thirty patients with hearing loss were enrolled in the study. Eight mutation sites in SLC26A4 gene were tested; the types of gene mutation and the inner ear CT features of the mutationpositive patients were analyzed.Result:Among 230 deafness patients,the total mutation rate of SLC26A4 gene is 2.61%(6/230). The types of gene mutation include SLC26A4 IVS7-2A> G heterozygous in 2 case(0.87%).1226G> A homozygous in 1 cases(0.43%),IVS7-2A>G，IVS11+47T>C and 1548insC mutations in 2 cases(0.87%).Conclusion:The mutation rate of SLC26A4 gene in Guangxi region is lower than the national average level. The main mutation type in Guangxi region is SLC26A4 IVS7 2A>G. In this study, two gene mutations (SLC26A4 IVS11+47T> C and 1548insC) are firstly found, suggesting that some rare mutation types of SLC26A4 may exist in patients living in Guangxi region.

Benefits of Chinese Medicine Among Patients with Diabetic Foot: An Expert Review from Clinical Studies

BACKGROUND

Increasing attention is being given to the use of Chinese medicine (CM) for preventing and healing vascular complications of chronic ulcerative lesions of diabetic foot.

OBJECTIVES

The purposes of this paper are to describe some benefits of CM for the treatment of diabetic foot and to provide some expert opinions based on some case studies and evidence from documented Chinese traditional medicine literature.

METHODS

A critical review of the literature and a case report.

RESULTS

Cumulative evidence in the literature indicate that CM preparations possess anti-inflammatory activities, antioxygenation, antibiosis, antibacterial, antiallergic and beneficial effect on the viability of fibroblasts. Case record suggested that after CM treatment the patient with Wagner Grade IV ulcers healed completely.

CONCLUSION

It is becoming increasingly important for integrated CM and biomedicine therapy to treat diabetes-related vascular complications. The opportunities for effective CM interventions are significant, and more solid evidence is warranted to show the efficacy of CM in the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers in the near future.

Serum Irisin Level is Higher and Related with Insulin in Acanthosis Nigricans-related Obesity

OBJECTIVE

Acanthosis nigricans (AN) is proved to be a skin phenotype of hyperinsulinemia especially in obese patients. Irisin is a new myokine which plays an important role in metabolic disorders, such as obesity, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes. The role of irisin in the development of AN-related obesity is not yet understood. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between irisin and AN-related obesity. Patients & Measurements: 30 obese patients without AN (OB group), 30 obese patients with AN (AN group), and 20 age-matched healthy volunteers (control group, CON) were included in this study. Weight, BMI, lipid profile, FFA, UA, and CRP were measured in all participants. Oral Glucose Tolerance tests (OGTT) were performed and serum glucose and plasma insulin were measured at 0, 30, 60,120 and 180 min. The AUC (area under curve) of glucose and insulin was calculated. Serum irisin was measured by ELISA.

RESULTS

Hyperinsulinemia is found in both AN and OB groups. The AN group had higher levels of insulin but better blood glucose tolerance and insulin response. The difference in irisin levels between the 3 groups was statistically significant, with the AN group showing the highest serum level of irisin. Serum irisin levels were positively correlated with BMI, and fasting insulin.

CONCLUSION

AN is a state of hyperinsulinmia and has better insulin response and glucose tolerance compared to obese patients without AN. Serum irisin may be a protective factor against impaired beta cell function in obesity with AN.

Detection of methemoglobin in whole blood based on confocal micro-Raman spectroscopy and multivariate statistical techniques

Raman spectroscopy has been shown to have the potential for revealing oxygenated and spin ability of hemoglobin. In this study, confocal micro-Raman spectroscopy is developed to monitor the effect of sodium nitrite on oxyhemoglobin (HbO2 ) in whole blood. We observe that the band at 1,638 cm(-1) which is sensitive to the oxidation state decreases dramatically, while the 1,586 cm(-1) (low-spin state band) reduces both in methemoglobin (MetHb) and poisoning blood. Our results show that adding in sodium nitrite lead to the transition from HbO2 (Fe(2+) ) to MetHb (Fe(3+) ) in whole blood, and the iron atom converts from the low spin state to the high spin state with a delocalization from porphyrin plane. Moreover, multivariate statistical techniques, including principal components analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) are employed to develop effective diagnostic algorithms for classification of spectra between pure blood and poisoning blood. The diagnostic algorithms based on PCA-LDA yield a diagnostic sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 100% for separating poisoning blood from normal blood. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve further confirms the effectiveness of the diagnostic algorithm based on PCA-LDA technique. The results from this study demonstrate that Raman spectroscopy combined with PCA-LDA algorithms has tremendous potential for the non-invasive detection of nitrite poisoning blood.

Influences of species mixture on biomass of Masson pine (Pinus massoniana Lamb) forests

The effect of tree diversity on productivity in subtropical forests in China is poorly understood. We investigated the biomasses of trees, understory vegetation, coarse roots, and fine roots with varying proportions of Pinus massoniana, mixed with other tree species in stands of the same age, to examine the effects of tree diversity. With an increase of P. massoniana proportion, the tree and understory biomasses increased at first, and then gradually decreased. As expected, the biomass of fine roots decreased with soil depth. Stands with 40 to 60% P. massoniana had the highest biomass, whereas stands with <20% P. massoniana had the least biomass. Stands with <20% P. massoniana had the least understory biomass, whereas those with 20 to 40% Masson pine had the least fine root biomass.

Large positive and negative lateral shifts near pseudo-Brewster dip on reflection from a chiral metamaterial slab

The lateral shifts from a slab of lossy chiral metamaterial are predicted for both perpendicular and parallel components of the reflected field, when the transverse electric (TE)-polarized incident wave is applied. By introducing different chirality parameter, the lateral shifts can be large positive or negative near the pseudo-Brewster angle. It is found that the lateral shifts from the negative chiral slab are affected by the angle of incidence and the chirality parameter. In the presence of inevitable loss of the chiral slab, the enhanced lateral shifts will be decreased, and the pseudo-Brewster angle will disappear correspondingly. For the negative chiral slab with loss which is invisible for the right circularly polarized (RCP) wave, we find that the loss of the chiral slab will lead to the fluctuation of the lateral shift with respect to the thickness of the chiral slab.The validity of the stationary-phase analysis is demonstrated by numerical simulations of a Gaussian-shaped beam.

Micro-Raman spectroscopy of algae: composition analysis and fluorescence background behavior

Preliminary feasibility studies were performed using Stokes Raman scattering for compositional analysis of algae. Two algal species, Chlorella sorokiniana (UTEX #1230) and Neochloris oleoabundans (UTEX #1185), were chosen for this study. Both species were considered to be candidates for biofuel production. Raman signals due to storage lipids (specifically triglycerides) were clearly identified in the nitrogen-starved C. sorokiniana and N. oleoabundans, but not in their healthy counterparts. On the other hand, signals resulting from the carotenoids were found to be present in all of the samples. Composition mapping was conducted in which Raman spectra were acquired from a dense sequence of locations over a small region of interest. The spectra obtained for the mapping images were filtered for the wavelengths of characteristic peaks that correspond to components of interest (i.e., triglyceride or carotenoid). The locations of the components of interest could be identified by the high intensity areas in the composition maps. Finally, the time evolution of fluorescence background was observed while acquiring Raman signals from the algae. The time dependence of fluorescence background is characterized by a general power law decay interrupted by sudden high intensity fluorescence events. The decreasing trend is likely a result of photo-bleaching of cell pigments due to prolonged intense laser exposure, while the sudden high intensity fluorescence events are not understood.

M(1)-like muscarinic acetylcholine receptors regulate fast-spiking interneuron excitability in rat dentate gyrus

Cholinergic transmission through muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs) plays a key role in cortical oscillations. Although fast-spiking (FS), parvalbumin-expressing basket cells (BCs) are proposed to be the cellular substrates of gamma oscillations, previous studies reported that FS nonpyramidal cells in neocortical areas are unresponsive to cholinergic modulation. Dentate gyrus (DG) is an independent gamma oscillator in the hippocampal formation. However, in contrast to other cortical regions, the direct impact of mAChR activation on FS BC excitability in this area has not been investigated. Here, we show that bath-applied muscarine or carbachol, two mAChR agonists, depolarize DG BCs in the acute brain slices, leading to action potential firing in the theta-gamma bands in the presence of blockers of ionotropic glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptors at physiological temperatures. The depolarizing action persists in the presence of tetrodotoxin, a voltage-gated Na(+) channel blocker. In voltage-clamp recordings, muscarine markedly reduces background K(+) currents. These effects are mimicked by oxotremorine methiodide, an mAChR-specific agonist, and largely reversed by atropine, a non-selective mAChR antagonist, or pirenzepine, an M(1) receptor antagonist, but not by gallamine, an M(2/4) receptor antagonist. Interestingly, in contrast to M(1)-receptor-mediated depolarization, M(2) receptor activation by the specific agonist arecaidine but-2-ynyl ester tosylate down-regulates GABA release at BC axons-the effect is occluded by gallamine, an M(2) receptor antagonist. Overall, muscarinic activation results in a net increase in phasic inhibitory output to the target cells. Thus, cholinergic activation through M(1)-like receptor enhances BC activity and promotes the generation of nested theta and gamma rhythms, thereby enhancing hippocampal function and associated performance.

Dysprosium compounds studied by resonant inelastic X-ray scattering and high-resolution X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy

A set of resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) studies focusing on the 2p64f(n)-->2p54f(n)5d1(2p54f(n+1)5d0)-->2p63d94f(n)5d1(2p63d94f(n+1)5d0) channel of dysprosium in Dy metal, Dy2O3, DyNi3 and Dy25Fe18 compounds have been carried out. Data showed with high statistics and resolution, the different delocalization degree of the 5d band of dysprosium in these compounds, e.g., decreasing from Dy metal to DyNi3, Dy25Fe18 and to dysprosium oxide, in agreement with the high-resolution XANES (HRXANES) spectra. Band structure calculations performed on Dy metal and Dy2O3 confirm both RIXS and HRXANES results in the increasing delocalization of the dysprosium 5d band in Dy metal with respect to Dy2O3. The 5d orbital occupancies of DyNi3 and Dy25Fe18 alloys have been also studied by comparison of the HRXANES white line (WL) area with the behavior of the final states energy position in RIXS spectra and we show that DyNi3 has a higher 5d orbital occupancy than Dy25Fe18.

Porcine circovirus 2 inclusion bodies in pulmonary and renal epithelial cells

Porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2) is the cause of postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS). The most common lesions of PMWS are lymphohistiocytic to granulomatous lymphadenitis, interstitial pneumonia and interstitial nephritis, with intracytoplasmic amphophilic botryoid inclusion bodies in macrophages. In addition to these typical changes, intracytoplasmic botryoid inclusion bodies were observed in bronchial, bronchial glandular, and renal tubular epithelium of several pigs from 4 different farms in Western and Eastern Canada. PCV2 inclusion bodies were demonstrated to be located in the cytoplasm of epithelial cells by immunohistochemical staining for PCV2 and cytokeratin antigens and by ultrastructural demonstration of viral particles in the inclusion bodies within renal tubular epithelium.

Current status of thalassemia in minority populations in Guangxi, China

Thalassemia is one of the most common monogenic disorders in the world. In order to develop a community-based prevention program, we screened 12,900 individuals for alpha- and beta-thalassemia in Baise City, Guangxi, China, with hematological methods and molecular assays. We found that the frequency of carriers in this area for alpha-thalassemia is 15%. Beta-thalassemia carriers comprise 4.8% of the populations. Five mutations account for 98% of alpha-thalassemia [--SEA 46.7%; -alpha/4.2, 23.9%; -alpha/3.7, 21.7%; hemoglobin (Hb) Constant Spring, 6.5%; Hb Quong Sze, 1.1%]. Seven mutations in the beta-globin gene account for 99% of the mutations [codon (CD) 41/42 (-TCTT) (39.4%), CD 17(A-->T) (32%), CD 71/72 (+A) (7.4%), -28 (A-->G) (5.8%), IVS-2-654 (C-->T) (5.8%), CD26 (Hb E) (4%), IVS-1 (G-->A) (3.7%), and CD 43(G-->T) (1.9%)]. Most individuals with alpha-thalassemia major die in the uterus or shortly after birth. Among 106 patients with beta-thalassemia major followed by our clinic, the majority died before 5 years of age. Knowledge surveys about thalassemia were conducted. Our results show a severe lack of knowledge about thalassemia in both medical professionals and in the general populations. This study shows that thalassemia is a very severe public health issue in minority populations in Baise City, China. Identification of the common mutations will allow us to design cost-effective molecular tests. There is an urgent need to educate the general population and the medical community for a successful community-based prevention program.

Immunogenicity and protective efficacy of a recombinant filamentous haemagglutinin from Bordetella pertussis

Bordetella pertussis is the causative agent of whooping cough, a major childhood pathogen; acellular vaccines consisting of purified B. pertussis antigens such as filamentous haemagglutinin (FHA) are commonly used to prevent pertussis. Despite the importance of FHA in B. pertussis pathogenesis and its inclusion in most acellular vaccines, the functional importance of individual domains in the induction of protective immunity is largely unknown. In this study, we have purified a recombinant FHA protein from Escherichia coli consisting of a 42 kDa maltose binding domain of E. coli and the 43 kDa type I immunodominant domain of FHA. The fusion protein (Mal85) was purified from E. coli cell lysates via affinity chromatography with an amylose column. Mal85 was then delivered to BALB/c mice intranasally encapsulated in liposomes, formulated with Protollin(TM) or in conjunction with an immunostimulatory CpG oligonucleotide. Mice were also vaccinated intraperitoneally with alum-adsorbed Mal85. Sera from all treatment groups showed strong IgG responses to Mal85 and recognized native FHA. Specific salivary IgA was induced in mice vaccinated with Mal85 in liposomes, Protollin(TM) and delivered with CpG. Vaccination with Mal85 encapsulated in liposomes or formulated with Protollin(TM) provided protection against aerosol challenge with B. pertussis in BALB/c mice. These data indicate that the type I domain of FHA is a protective antigen in mice and may serve as a candidate for inclusion in new acellular pertussis vaccines.

A paraspinal abscess following spinal anaesthesia for caesarean section and patient-controlled epidural analgesia for postoperative pain

We present a rare case in which a healthy parturient developed a paraspinal abscess after spinal anaesthesia for caesarean section and epidural analgesia for postoperative pain management. The catheter was in situ for 58 h. Backache was the initial and major symptom. A concealed course with no neurological deficit resulted in a delayed diagnosis and treatment in this case. The infection was not diagnosed until 20 days after the removal of the epidural catheter when there was a purulent discharge from the epidural puncture site. Surgical drainage was required. Anaesthesiologists should be aware that serious epidural analgesia-related infections can happen in extra spinal-epidural spaces. Vigilance for these infections, especially in postpartum patients with backache, is needed.

SRXRF microprobe as a technique for studying elements distribution in Elsholtzia splendens

Elsholtzia splendens is a copper tolerant plant growing in copper mine areas in south of China and accumulates considerable heavy metals in plant tissue. In this study, synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (SRXRF) microprobe was used to study the Cu and other elements distribution in E. splendens. The element (P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn) in the leaf epidermis and cross-sections of the stem and leaf could be checked by SRXRF which was considered a sensitive technique for trace element analysis. The highest Cu levels were measured in the vascular tissues of stem and petiole, while Cu levels in mesophyll were higher than in leaf epidermis. The levels of most elements were not higher in trichomes than in other tissues. It seems that the celluar compartmentation of heavy metals in epidermis and epidermal trichomes was not the general feature of all plants. There was a significant correlation between Cu and P, S, Ca in distribution, which suggested P, S, and Ca played an important role in Cu accumulation of E. splendens. Based on the significant correlation between Cu and elements Mn, Fe, and Zn in distribution, it seemed that Cu, Mn, Fe, and Zn could be transported by the same transporters with a broad substrate range.