2005 Vol. 18, No. 4
Objective To provide more information for rational evaluation of potential risks of terephthalic acid (TPA), we studied the effects of TPA on rats' bladders in 90 days after TPA exposure. Methods Sprague Dawley rats were subdivided into five groups, ingesting 0 %, 0.04 %, 0.2 %, 1 %, and 5 % TPA respectively for a sub-chronic feeding study lasting for 90 days. Urine, serum and samples of brain, liver, lung, kidney, bladder, etc. Were collected and analyzed. Results TPA ingesting decreased the value of urinary pH, and increased the contents of Ca2+, Zn2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+ in urine. The volume of 24 h urine was significantly increased in male rats in the 1 % and 5 % TPA groups. Urinary white sediment was found in both sexes, and its formation in male rats seemed more susceptible than that in female rats. Alpha 2u-globulin (AUG) in serum and urine of male rats was markedly increased in a dose-dependent manner. Fifteen cases of hyperplasia (simple or atypical) were determined in the 5 % TPA ingesting group, 14/52 in male rats and1/23 in female rats. Among them 3 male rats had no stone or calculus. Those with either bladder stones or hyperplasia were accompanied with urinary white sediments. Conclusion White sediment accompanied with elevated urine AUG is the basis of TPA induced urolith formation, and is also associated with TPA induced bladder epithelialcell proliferation. It can act as an early biomarker for the potential toxic effect of TPA.
Objective To describe the case fatality rate of SARS in Beijing. Methods Data of SARS cases notified from Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention (BCDC) and supplemented by other channels were collected. The data were analyzed by rate calculation. Results The case fatality rate of SARS in Beijing was 7.66%, and had an ascending trend while the age of cases was getting older, and a descending trend while the epidemic development. The case fatality rate in Beijing was lower than that in other main epidemic countries or regions. Conclusions The risk of death increases with the increment of age of SARS patients. Beijing is successful in controlling and treating SARS.
Objective To describe the epidemiologic features of an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in urban and suburb areas in Beijing and to explore their differences between these two areas. Methods Data of SARS cases were collected from daily notification of China Ministry of Health and a database of infectious diseases was established by the Beijing Municipal Center for Disease Prevention and Control (BCDC). All the data were put into dataset files by Microsoft Excel-2000 and analyzed with SPSS version 10.0 software. Results The respective urban incidence and mortality rate were 29.06 and 2.21 per 100 000, while the case fatality rate was 7.62%. In contrast, the respective suburb incidence and mortality rate were 10.61 and 0.78 per 100 000, and the case fatality rate was 7.32%. No significant differences were found in demographic characteristics between the urban and suburb areas. Conclusion Beijing urban area suffered a more serious SARS epidemic than the suburb area in 2003.
2005, 18(4): 233-237.
Objective To provide effective environmental management for total amount control of atmospheric pollutants. Methods An atmospheric diffusion model of sulfur dioxide on the surface of the earth was established and tested in Shantou of Guangdong Province on the basis of an overall assessment of regional natural environment, social economic state of development, pollution sources and atmospheric environmental quality. Compared with actual monitoring results in a studied region, simulation values fell within the range of two times of error and were evenly distributed in the two sides of the monitored values. Predicted with the largest emission model method, the largest emission of sulfur dioxide would be 54 279.792 tons per year in 2010. Conclusion The mathematical model established and revised on the basis of GIS is more rational and suitable for the regional characteristics of total amount control of air pollutants.
Objective To study the effects of paraphenylenediamine (PPD) and linear alkylbenzene sulphonate (LAS) alone and in combination on the skin. Methods Forty-eight guinea pigs were divided equally into 4 groups and exposed to PPD (4 mg/kg), LAS (12 mg/kg) and PPD (4 mg/kg) plus LAS (12 mg/kg) for 30 days. The biochemical parameters such as acid phosphatase, gtutathione-s-transferase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione, lipid peroxidation and histamine contents in exposed skin were estimated. The histopathological examination of the exposed skin was also carried out. Results The skin enzymes, lipid peroxidation, and histamine increased while glutathione decreased in skin. The simultaneously exposed group showed additive toxic effects. The histopathological examination showed severe hyperkeratosis, thickening of collagen fibres and vacuolisation of epidermal cells in PPD plus LAS exposed skin. Conclusion The findings of the present study suggest that simultaneous exposure to PPD and LAS has additive toxic effects.
Objective To explore the spatial genetic structure of two HIV-I-resistant polymorphisms (CCR2-64Ⅰand SDF1-3'A) alleles in the population of Shandong Province, China. Methods Using the techniques of spatial stratified sampling and spatial statistics, the spatial genetic structure of the locus (CCR2-64Ⅰand SDF1-3'A), which was shown to be important co-receptor for HIV infection, was quantified from the populations of 36 sampled counties of Shandong Province, and a total of 3147 and 3172 samples were taken for testing CCR2-64I and SDF1-3'A respectively from individuals without known history of HIV-I infection and AIDS symptoms. Results There were significantly spatial genetic structures of the two alleles at different spatial distance classes on the scale of populations, but on the scale of individuals, no spatial structure was found in either the whole area of Shandong Province or the area of each sampled county. Although the change of frequencies of the two alleles with geographic locations in Shandong Province both showed gradual increase trends, their changing directions were inverse. The frequency of CCR2-64I allele gradually increased from the southwest to the northeast, while the frequency of SDF1-3'A allele gradually increased from the northeast to the southwest. However the RH to AIDS of combined types of their different genotypes did not represent obvious geographic diversity on the whole area of the Province. Conclusion The frequency of allele usually has some spatial genetic structures or spatial autocorrelation with different spatial distance classes, but the genotypes of individuals have random distribution in the same geographic area. Evaluating spatial distribution of the genetic susceptibility of HIV (AIDS) to CCR2-64I and SDF1-3'A alleles, should focus on the frequencies of combined genotypes of CCR2 and SDF1 based on the two-locus genotypes of each individual rather than the frequencies of CCR2-64I and SDF1-3'A alleles.
Objective To prepare monoclonal antibodies (Mab) and antisera specific for Escherichia coli (E.coli) O157, and to develop a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect E.coli O157 in foods. Methods Spleen cells from BALB/c mice immunized with the somatic antigen of E.coli O157:H7 were fused with murine Sp2/0 myeloma cells. The hybridoma cell line specific for E.coli O157 was established after having been subcloned. Antisera specific for E.coli O157 was prepared by intravenous injection into New Zealand rabbits with a stain of E.coli O157:H7. The sandwich ELISA was developed with the polyclonal antibody as the capture antibody and the Mab 3A5 as the detection antibody. The inoculated ground poultry meat and pasteurized milk were tested to confirm efficiency of the method. Results Mab 3A5 specific for E.coli O157 and O113:H21 belonged to subtype IgM. The ascetic titers of the antibody was 1:1×106. No cross-reactivity of the Mab was observed with strains of Salmonella spp, Yersinia enterocolitica, Shigella dysenteriae, etc. The purified polyclonal antibody had a titer of 1:1×105 with E.coli O157. The detection limit of this sandwich ELISA was 103-104 cfu E.coli O157/mL in pure culture with a high specificity, which was characterized by every non-O157 strain with negative response. With 10h enrichment procedure, E.coli O157:H7 recovered well from inoculated ground poultry meat and pasteurized milk at levels of 0.1 cfu/g and 0.1 cfu/mL. Conclusion Mab 3A5 specific for E.coli O157 and O113:H21 can be produced by immunizing BALB/c mice with a strain of E.coli O157:H7. Then a sandwich ELISA can be developed with the polyclonal antibody as the capture antibody and the Mab 3A5 as the detection antibody. The method is proved to be a sensitive and specific technique to detect low number of E.coli O157 in food.
Objective To detect the presence of endothelial injury in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) via enhanced levels of tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) and soluble thrombomodulin (sTM). Methods Case patients were from Xuanwu Hospital (Capital University of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China), and all of them met clinical criteria for SARS. Healthy controls were some of the hospital employees. Endothelial injury bio-markers tPA and sTM were detected by commercial ELISA-methods. Results Classic plasma markers of endothelial injury, tPA and sTM significantly elevated in SARS patients in comparison to controls [t-PA: 1.48±0.16 nmol/L versus 0.25±0.03 nmol/L (P<0.0001), and sTM: 0.26±0.06 nmol/L versus 0.14±0.02 nmol/L (P<0.05)]. The only patient who died had extremely high levels of these endothelial injury markers (t-PA: 2.77 nmol/L and sTM: 1.01 nmol/L). The likelihood ratio analysis indicated the excellent discriminating power for SARS at the optimal cut-point of 0.49 nmol/L for tPA and 0.20 nmol/L for sTM, respectively. Significant numerical correlations were found among these endothelial injury markers in SARS patients. The numerical coefficient of correlation Pearson r between t-PA and sTM was 0.5867 (P<0.05). Conclusion Increased plasma concentrations of tPA and sTM in patients with SARS suggest the possibility of endothelial injury. SARS patients might need anticoagulant therapy or fibrinolytic therapy in order to reverse intraalveolar coagulation, microthrombi formation, alveolar and interstitial fibrin deposition. It may not only provide a useful treatment and prognostic index but also allow a further understanding of the pathological condition of the disease.
Objective To develop a new high-throughput screening model for human high-density lipoprotein (HDL) receptor (CD36 and LIMPII analogous-1, CLA-1) agonists using CLA-1-expressing insect cells. Methods With the total RNA of human hepatoma cells BEL-7402 as template, the complementary DNA (cDNA) of CLA-1 was amplified by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Bac-to-Bac baculovirus expression system was used to express CLA-1 in insect cells. CLA-1 cDNA was cloned downstream of polyhedrin promoter of Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus (AcNPV) into donor vector pFastBac1 and recombinant pFastBac1-CLA-1 was transformed into E. coli DH10Bac to transpose CLA-1 cDNA to bacmid DNA. Recombinant bacmid-CLA-1 was transfected into Spodoptera frugiperda Sf9 insect cells to produce recombinant baculovirus particles. Recombinant CLA-1 was expressed on the membrane of Sf9 cells infected with the recombinant baculoviruses. A series of parameters of DiI-lipoprotein binding assays of CLA-1-expressing Sf9 cells in 96-well plates were optimized. Results Western blot analysis and DiI-lipoprotein binding assays confirmed that CLA-1 expressed in insect cells had similar immunoreactivity and ligand binding activity as its native counterpart. A reliable and sensitive in vitro cell-based assay was established to assess the activity of CLA-1 and used to screen agonists from different sample libraries. Conclusion Human HDL receptor CLA-1 was successfully expressed in Sf9 insect cells and a novel high-throughput screening model for CLA-1 agonists was developed. Utilization of this model allows us to identify potent and selective CLA-1 agonists which might possibly be used as therapeutics for atherosclerosis.
Objective To prepare the PrP specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that can be used for the detection of mammalian prions and study of pathogenesis of prion diseases. Methods Several BALB/c mice were immunized with recombinant hamster prion protein (HaPrP). Three hybridoma cell lines designated as B7, B9, and B10, secreting monoclonal antibodies against HaPrP, were established by hybridoma technique. The mAbs reactivities were evaluated with ELISA, Western blot, and immunohistochemistry. Results The mAbs produced by these cell lines reacted well with different recombinant hamster PrP proteins. Western blot analyses showed that mAbs B7 and B9 reacted with PrPSc from the scrapie-infected animals after proteinase K digestion with three glycosylated forms. The mAbs exhibited cross-reactivity with various PrPC from several other mammalian species, including humans and cattles. Immunohistochemistry assays confirmed that mAbs B7 and B9 could recognize not only extracellular but also intracellular PrPSc. Conclusion The mAbs of prion protein are successfully generated by hybridoma technique and can be applied for the diagnosis of prion associated diseases.
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