[Epidemiological characteristics of imported malaria in Zhengzhou City from 2016 to 2020]

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of reported imported malaria cases in Zhengzhou City from 2016 to 2020, so as to provide insights into the management of imported malaria in the city.

METHODS

All data pertaining to cases with definitive diagnosis of malaria in Zhengzhou City from 2016 to 2020 were captured from the National Notifiable Disease Report System and the Information Management System for Parasitic Disease Control in China, including individual demographic data, and malaria onset, initial diagnosis and definitive diagnosis data. All data were descriptively analyzed. The duration from malaria onset to initial diagnosis, from initial diagnosis to definitive diagnosis and from onset to definitive diagnosis was compared among cases. In addition, the diagnoses of imported malaria cases in which definitive diagnosis was made were compared with the reexaminations by Zhengzhou Municipal Malaria Diagnosis Reference Laboratory.

RESULTS

A total of 302 cases with definitive diagnosis of malaria were reported in Zhengzhou City from 2016 to 2020, and all were imported cases, with Plasmodium falciparum malaria as the predominant type (230 cases, 76.2%). There were 293 malaria cases imported from Africa (293 cases, 97.0%), which mainly included Nigeria (48 cases, 15.9%), Angola (40 cases, 13.2%), and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (29 cases, 9.6%). There was no obvious seasonality found in the date of malaria onset and time of reporting malaria. The ratio of male to female malaria cases was 49.3:1, and there were 103 cases (34.1%) with the current residency address in Zhengzhou City, 193 cases (63.9%) with the current residency address in other cities of Henan Province and 6 cases (2.0%) in other provinces of China. There were 271 cases (89.7%) seeking initial diagnosis in medical institutions, and the diagnostic accuracy of malaria was 56.6% (171/302) at initial diagnosis institutions. A total of 122 cases (40.4%) sought medical care on the day of malaria onset, and 252 cases (86.4%) within 3 days; however, only 22 cases (7.3%) were definitively diagnosed on the day of onset, and 162 cases (53.6%) diagnosed within 3 days. There were no significant differences between malaria cases seeking initial diagnosis at medical institutions and disease control and prevention institutions in terms of the duration from malaria onset to initial diagnosis (Z = -1.663, P > 0.05), from initial diagnosis to definitive diagnosis (Z = -0.413, P > 0.05) or from malaria onset to definitive diagnosis (Z = -0.838, P > 0.05). The median duration (interquartile range) from initial diagnosis to definitive diagnosis of malaria was 3.00 (2.00), 3.00 (6.00), 2.00 (4.00) d and 1.00 (1.00) d among cases seeking medical care at township-level and lower, county-, city- and province-level medical institutions, and the median duration from initial diagnosis to definitive diagnosis of malaria was significantly longer among cases seeking medical care at township-level and lower medical institutions than at city (Z = -3.286, P < 0.008 33) and province-level medical institutions (Z = -9.119, P < 0.008 33), while the median duration from initial diagnosis to definitive diagnosis [1.00 (3.00) d vs. 2.00 (4.00) d; Z = -4.099, P < 0.016] and from malaria onset to definitive diagnosis [3.00 (4.00) d vs. 4.00 (5.00) d; Z = -2.868, P < 0.016] among malaria cases with the current residency address in Zhengzhou City was both shorter than in other cities of Henan Province. The diagnostic accuracy was 89.1% (269/302) among malaria cases in which definitive diagnosis was made, and the accuracy of malaria reexaminations was 94.0% (284/302) in Zhengzhou Municipal Malaria Diagnosis Reference Laboratory.

CONCLUSIONS

P. falciparum malaria was predominant among reported imported malaria cases in Zhengzhou City from 2016 to 2020, and these imported malaria cases were predominantly diagnosed at medical institutions; however, the diagnostic capability of malaria is poor in township-level and lower medical institutions. Strengthening the collaboration between medical institutions and disease control and prevention institutions and improving the diagnostic capability building at medical institutions are recommended to consolidate malaria elimination achivements.

Adjuvant chemotherapy after liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma: a systematic review and a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common tumors worldwide and liver transplantation (LT) is considered as the best therapeutic option for patients with HCC combined with cirrhosis. However, tumor recurrence after LT for HCC remains the major obstacle for long-term survival. The present study was to evaluate the efficacy and necessity of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with HCC who had undergone LT.

DATA SOURCES

Several databases were searched to identify comparative studies fulfilling the predefined selection criteria before October 2014. Suitable studies were chosen and data extracted for meta-analysis. Three authors independently evaluated the bias of each study according to the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Review of Intervention. Stata 12 was used for statistical analysis. Hazard ratio (HR) was considered as a summary statistic for overall survival, disease-free survival and recurrence rate.

RESULTS

Three prospective studies and 5 retrospective studies including 360 patients (166 in the adjuvant chemotherapy group, and 194 in the control group) were included. Compared with the control group, post-LT adjuvant chemotherapy conferred significant benefit for overall survival (HR: 0.34; 95% CI: 0.22-0.52; P=0.000). Meanwhile, the results showed an improvement for disease-free survival on favoring adjuvant chemotherapy (HR: 0.87; 95% CI: 0.78-0.95; P=0.004). However, no significant difference in HCC recurrence rate was observed between the two groups (HR: 1.26; 95% CI: 0.40-4.00; P=0.696). Descriptions of adverse events were of anecdotal nature and did not allow meta-analytic calculations.

CONCLUSIONS

Adjuvant chemotherapy after LT for HCC can significantly prolong patient's survival and delay the recurrence of HCC. For advanced HCC with poor differentiation, patients may perhaps benefit from the early implantation of adjuvant chemotherapy after LT.

Cytomegalovirus infection accelerates the process of chronic rejection in rat liver transplantation

OBJECTIVE

Analysis of the pathogenesis of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection for rat chronic liver rejection.

METHODS

Based on animal models that we previously developed, we divided control and a CMV infection group to analyze survival, histopathology and rejection activity. The level and mRNA expression of transforming growth factor-β1, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) were measured in peripheral blood serum and liver tissue.

RESULTS

Obliterative arteriopathy and fibrosis was significantly greater in the CMV infection versus the control group (P < .05). PDGF mRNA expression in rat liver and in peripheral blood were significantly higher in the CMV infection versus the control group (P < .05). bFGF mRNA expression in the CMV infection group was also significantly higher than among the controls (P < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

CMV infection aggravated foam cell obliterative arteriopathy and liver fibrosis in chronic liver rejection, processes that accelerate the immune response, which may correlate with early high PDGF and bFGF expression.

Cognitive impairments in Parkinson's disease

OBJECTIVE

Dementia and cognitive impairment (CI) are common in Parkinson's disease (PD) and have important clinical consequences. We explored the prognostic factors for CI in patients with PD.

METHODS

A total of 102 patients with PD in Xuan wu hospital and Qian dongnan People's Hospital from 2005 to 2010 were included in this study. All patients underwent clinical and neurological assessments. Relevant demographic and performance parameters were analysed to determine variables that may be independently associated with the progression of CI.

RESULTS

In the 6-month follow-up group, CI progressed in three out of 58 cases (5%): two cases progressed from mild CI (MiCI) to moderate CI (MoCI), and one case from MoCI to dementia. In the six-month-to-two-year follow-up group, seven out of 46 cases (15%) worsened: one case developed MiCI, three cases progressed from MiCI to MoCI and three other cases from MoCI to dementia. In the two-to-five-year group, 20 out of 44 cases (45%) worsened with one case developing MiCI, 14 cases progressing from MiCi to MoCI and five cases from MoCI to dementia. Compared with other patients, those with worsening of CI symptoms were significantly older in the two-to-five-year group. Progression of CI was also associated with age at onset and initial staging of PD.

CONCLUSIONS

Advanced age, late onset of disease and severity of PD are the predictive factors for the progression of CI in PD. The highest probability of progression of CI is in patients with initial severe impairments of visuospatial function.

A high accuracy femto-/picosecond laser damage test facility dedicated to the study of optical thin films

A laser damage test facility delivering pulses from 100 fs to 3 ps and designed to operate at 1030 nm is presented. The different details of its implementation and performances are given. The originality of this system relies the online damage detection system based on Nomarski microscopy and the use of a non-conventional energy detection method based on the utilization of a cooled CCD that offers the possibility to obtain the laser induced damage threshold (LIDT) with high accuracy. Applications of this instrument to study thin films under laser irradiation are presented. Particularly the deterministic behavior of the sub-picosecond damage is investigated in the case of fused silica and oxide films. It is demonstrated that the transition of 0-1 damage probability is very sharp and the LIDT is perfectly deterministic at few hundreds of femtoseconds. The damage process in dielectric materials being the results of electronic processes, specific information such as the material bandgap is needed for the interpretation of results and applications of scaling laws. A review of the different approaches for the estimation of the absorption gap of optical dielectric coatings is conducted and the results given by the different methods are compared and discussed. The LIDT and gap of several oxide materials are then measured with the presented instrument: Al(2)O(3), Nb(2)O(5), HfO(2), SiO(2), Ta(2)O(5), and ZrO(2). The obtained relation between the LIDT and gap at 1030 nm confirms the linear evolution of the threshold with the bandgap that exists at 800 nm, and our work expands the number of tested materials.

High-efficiency photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue using electrospun ZnO nanofibers as catalyst

In this work, ZnO nanofibers (ZNFs) were successfully prepared via a simple electrospinning technique using polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and zinc acetate dihydrate (Zn(CH3COO)2 2H2O) as precursors. The obtained ZNFs have an average diameter of ca. 95 nm and are composed of crystalline wurtzite phase. Methylene blue (MB) dye was used to investigate the photocatalytic performance of pure ZNFs. The study confirms that ZNFs have favorable catalytic activity, and the best degradation efficiency of MB can exceed 90% under UV light irradiation for 3 hours. In addition, we propose a possible photodegradation mechanism.

Increased expression of non-interleukin-2 T cell growth factors and their implications during liver allograft rejection in rats

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Rejection remains a problem in the transplantation field. The aim of this study was to establish acute and chronic rejection models in rats and to investigate the roles of non-interleukin (IL)-2 T cell growth factors such as IL-15, IL-7 and IL-13 during rejection.

METHODS

A liver transplant model was established using Dark Agouti and Brown Norway rats. The rats were divided into group A, left without treatment; group B, received cyclosporinee (1 mg/kg/day); and group C, cyclosporinee (4 mg/kg/day). Histopathological, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and western blot were performed in liver specimens obtained from different time-points after transplantation in the three groups.

RESULTS

In group A, the livers showed irreversible acute cellular rejection with cell infiltration. In group B, chronic liver rejection was found, with graft infiltration, ductular damage or proliferation, obliterative arteriopathy and liver fibrosis. No apparent histological alterations were observed in group C. IL-15, IL-7 and IL-13 messenger RNA and their protein were all highly expressed in the liver specimens of groups A and B. Upregulated expression was found in IL-15 since the first day after transplantation and in IL-7 and IL-13 since day 6. The extent of IL-15 upregulation was more than that of IL-7 and IL-13.

CONCLUSIONS

Liver transplantation in Dark Agouti to Brown Norway rats with low-dose immunosuppression can induce chronic rejection. In the process of acute and chronic allograft rejections, non-IL-2 T cell growth factors such as IL-15, IL-7 and IL-13 play roles. Strategies should pay more attention to regulating these cytokines after liver transplantation.

Enteral feeding of glycyl-glutamine dipeptide improves the structure and absorptive function of the small intestine after allogenetic liver transplantation in rats

BACKGROUND

Recipients of liver transplantation could have postoperative structural injury and declined absorptive function in the gastrointestinal tract. Glutamine (Gln) is a special nutrient of small intestinal mucosa and of various kinds of cells proliferating rapidly. But Gln could form a kind of poisonous pyroglutamic acid in water solution, which is the limitation of Gln in clinical practice. Glycyl-glutamine (Gly-Gln) is highly soluble and can be hydrolyzed to release glutamine. This study was undertaken to observe the effect of Gly-Gln dipeptide by enteral feeding on the intestinal structure and absorptive function after allogenetic liver transplantation in rats.

METHODS

Twelve male inbred Lewis rats were selected randomly as donors, and 24 male inbred BN rats as recipients of allogenetic liver transplantation. The recipients were also randomly divided into two groups: control group (ALA group, n=12) and experimental group (GLN group, n=12). In each group, 6 normal BN rats were sampled as the normal parameter on the 3rd preoperative day. The 6 recipients in the control group received alanine 0.6 g/kg daily for 3 days before operation and 7 days after operation by gastric perfusion, and the 6 recipients in the experimental group were given Gly-Gln 0.6 g/kg daily the same way. The 12 BN recipients underwent 3-day fasting (free access to water with 0.23% sodium chloride) and orthotopic liver transplantation in aseptic conditions and were given subcutaneous injection of CsA 2 mg/kg daily after the operation. The 12 BN recipients were sampled on the 8th postoperative day. All of the 24 BN rats were subjected to examination of mucosal structure, activities of Na+-K+-ATP and disaccharidase, and D-xylose absorption test.

RESULTS

The 12 BN recipients were alive after liver transplantation. On the 3rd preoperative day, mucosal structure, activities of Na+-K+-ATP and disaccharidase and D-xylose absorption in the two groups were not significantly different. On the 8th postoperative day, the parameters of the two groups were markedly changed compared with those on the 3rd preoperative day. However, the parameters of GLN group were remarkably higher than those of ALA group.

CONCLUSION

Enteral feeding of Gly-Gln could improve the structure and absorptive function of the small intestine after liver transplantation in rats.

A rat model of chronic allograft liver rejection

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this study was to develop a rat model of chronic irreversible rejection, which is a major causes of late graft loss and retransplantation after orthotopic liver allotransplantation.

METHODS

Allogeneic liver transplantation was performed in a rat combination of Dark Agouti (DA) to Brown Norway (BN). Group A was left without treatment, group B received cyclosporine' (CsA; 1 mg/kg/d) and group C, CsA (4 mg/kg/d). Animals were followed for 6 months. Liver tissue was harvested to construct a time course of histological changes after liver transplantation using histopathological and morphometric techniques. We compared the total histological score of rejection activity index and survival rates.

RESULTS

In untreated animals, irreversible acute rejection developed, all animals died within 15 days. In the low-dose CsA group, all animals that survived more than 30 days developed moderate to severe manifestations of chronic liver rejection, with graft infiltration, ductular damage or proliferation, obliterative arteriopathy, and liver fibrosis. No apparent histological alterations were observed in group C. Survival analysis showed significant differences between the three groups.

CONCLUSIONS

In the rat strain combination of DA --> BN with low-dose immunosuppression, early mild inflammation was followed by the development of chronic rejection.

Cytomegalovirus and chronic allograft rejection in liver transplantation

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) remains one of the most frequent viral infections and the most common cause of death after liver transplantation (LT). Chronic allograft liver rejection remains the major obstacle to long-term allograft survival and CMV infection is one of the suggested risk factors for chronic allograft rejection. The precise relationship between cytomegalovirus and chronic rejection remains uncertain. This review addresses the morbidity of cytomegalovirus infection and the risk factors associated with it, the relationship between cytomegalovirus and chronic allograft liver rejection and the potential mechanisms of it.

[Production of u-PA with rCHO cell culture on porous microcarriers in serum-free growth medium]

A novel technique was developed to deal with apoptosis in large-scale animal cell culture. By means of replacing part of Cytopore porous microcarriers at regular intervals, a rCHO cell line, which produces urokinase-type plasminogen activitor(u-PA), was cultivated continuously with serum-free medium in a 30 L stirred tank for 91 days. The cell density was maintained at (1.3-2.6) x 10(7)/mL, and > 90% of cells was viable. In order to reduce the effect of cell density on cell growth and expression, a cyclic pressure oscillation was exerted on a 7.5 L reactor headspace to enhance cell expression at high cell density to a certain extent. During the 67 days of medium-replacement culture, the maximal cell density reached 2.64 x 10(7)/mL, and cell viability was always kept above 95% when combined with microcarrier-replacement. Compare to control culture, culture with cyclic pressure oscillation could enhance cell expression level and reduce the ratio of glucose metabolized anaerobically to produce lactate. With four-step purification process, about 80 g u-PA(approximately 90% scu-PA) was recovered from approximately 2100 liters supernatant which contained approximately 135 g u-PA.

[Expression of prourokinase in different mammalian cells]

Comparison studies of recombinant prourokinase(pro-UK) in various host cells, and expression vectors were carried out. Expression levels of vectors constructed in this study in different cell lines were compared. Mammalian cells expressing pro-UK were established. The levels of pro-UK expression in recombinant Namalwa, Vero and Sp2/0 cells are 200, 12.5 and 50 IU/(10(6) cells 24 h). pro-UK purities separated by immunoaffinity chromatograph are above 90%. Immunoabsorbent assay showed the ratio of pro-UK in CHO cells is lower than that from Vero and Namalwa cells. This study provide new host cells for pro-UK production.

Purification and biochemical characterization of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid/kainate-sensitive L-glutamate receptors of pig brain

Two preparations of glutamate receptors were purified from the synaptic junctions of pig brain by a combination of detergent solubilization, anion-exchange chromatography, wheat-germ agglutinin affinity chromatography and sedimentation through sucrose gradients. These preparations were enriched in specific L-[3H]glutamate binding activity (> 5000 pmol of glutamate binding sites/mg of protein), and the rank order of ligand affinity for binding to these preparations was: quisqualate > 6-cyano-7- nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione > alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4- isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) > L-glutamate > kainate > > N-methyl-D-aspartate approximately L-2-amino-4-phosphonobutyrate. SDS/PAGE analysis revealed that more than 80% of the protein in either of these preparations appeared as a single protein band of 106 kDa. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis further revealed that these 106 kDa proteins consisted of a series of acidic proteins which were recognized by antibodies against rat AMPA receptor subunits. These 106 kDa proteins were also recognized by wheatgerm agglutinin and concanavalin A; in addition, peptide N-glycosidase F treatment of these preparations decreased their size to 99 kDa. Our results suggest that the putative glutamate receptors isolated here are likely to belong to the AMPA subtype of glutamate receptors in pig brain. Using the purification procedure reported here, 5 micrograms of AMPA receptor proteins can be isolated from 250 g of pig brain tissue.

Analgesic components from bornean medicinal plants, Tabernaemontana pauciflora Blume and Tabernaemontana pandacaqui Poir

The analgesic components were isolated from a Bornean medicinal plant, Tabernaemontana pauciflora Blume (syn. Ervatamia blumeana Mark gr.), and the major components were identified as coronaridine and 3-(2-oxopropyl)coronaridine. Four minor components were estimated to be 5R- and 5S-(2-oxopropyl)coronaridine, 3-(2-oxopropyl)voacangine and 3,3'-(oxopropyl)dicoronaridine, which might be produced during the isolation process. Voacangine was also isolated as a major component of T. pandacaqui Poir. Coronaridine and voacangine exhibited significant analgesic and hypothermic effects in mice at a dose of 25 mg/kg, p.o., while 3-(2-oxopropyl)coronaridine was less effective. The former two compounds also revealed a surface anesthesia.

[Studies on pharmacologically active principles from Indonesian crude drugs. III. Toxic components from Brucea javanica (L.) Merr]

During our screening of pharmacologically active principles from Indonesian medicinal plants by a hypothermic effect the methanol-extract of Brucea javanica (L.) Merr. has been found to exhibit a lethal toxicity to mice. The toxic components were isolated and identified with bruceoside A and B and yadanzioside F. Correction of 13C-nuclear magnetic resonance assignment was also mentioned.