Protection of chickens against highly lethal H5N1 and H7N1 avian influenza viruses with a recombinant fowlpox virus co-expressing H5 haemagglutinin and N1 neuraminidase genes

Inactivated whole avian influenza virus (AIV) vaccine provides protection against homologous haemagglutinin (HA) subtype virus, but poor protection against a heterologous HA virus. Moreover, it induces chickens to produce antibodies to cross-reactive antigens, especially nucleoprotein, which is limits AIV serological surveillance. In this study, a recombinant fowlpox virus co-expressing HA (H5 subtype) and NA (N1 subtype) genes of AIV was evaluated for its ability to protect chickens against intramuscular challenge with a lethal dose of highly pathogenic (HP) AIV. Susceptible chickens were also vaccinated by wing-web puncture with the parent fowlpox vaccine virus. Following challenge 4 weeks later with HPAIV, all chickens vaccinated with recombinant virus were protected, while the chickens vaccinated with either the unaltered parent fowlpox vaccine virus or unvaccinated controls experienced 100% mortality following challenge. This protection was accompanied by the high levels of specific antibody to the respective components of the recombinant vaccine. The above results showed that rFPV-HA-NA could be a potential vaccine to replace current inactivated vaccines for preventing AI.     

Pancreas divisum with early pancreatic cancer--presenting as chronic obstructive pancreatitis.

A 61-year-old man experienced four bouts of pancreatitis in 1 year. Detailed history taking and a series of examinations, including sonography, computed tomography scan, and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), revealed pancreas divisum on the first admission. He was treated conservatively. However, repeated ERCP on the fourth admission, 1 year later, showed a small filling defect in the tail of the pancreatic duct. A distal pancreatectomy was carried out. Pathological studies revealed a small papillary adenocarcinoma (1.5 x 1.0 x 0.5 cm) confined to the pancreatic duct grossly with minimal parenchymal invasion microscopically. He has been free from cancer and pancreatitis for 13 months since the operation.     

Immunosuppressive effect of cultured Cordyceps sinensis on cellular immune response

The immunosuppressive effect of cultured Cordyceps sinensis (Bei Lin Capsule) was studied in vitro and in vivo. When the drug was added from 0.6 mg/ml to 5 mg/ml a significant dose-dependent inhibition effect was shown in the following immune reactions of mice (P less than 0.05-0.01): phagocytic function of peripheral blood leucocytes assayed by chemiluminescence; mitogenic response of spleen lymphocytes to Con A; mixed lymphocyte culture and LPS induced interleukin-1 release of macrophages. The survival rate of mice spleen lymphocytes cultured with Cordyceps sinensis 5 mg/ml in 37 degrees C 5% CO2 for 5 days was more than 80%. Cordyceps sinensis 4 g/kg daily significantly prolonged the mice skin allograft survival time (12.7 +/- 2.2 days v.s. 8.3 +/- 0.7 days in the control, P less than 0.01) and its immunosuppressive effect was close to that of Cyclosporin A 5 mg/kg daily on skin allograft.     

Presence of antibodies reacting specifically with structural proteins of mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) among antibodies composing circulating immune complexes in breast cancer patients

All-Union Oncologic Scientific Center, Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR, Moscow. (Presented by Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR N. N. Trapeznikov.) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 105, No. 4, pp. 475–477, April, 1988.     

健康和病变人声带振动特性声门图

本文用多功能声门图仪测定了健康受试者(男46名,女34名)和不同喉病患者(男134名,女87名)声门图的波形及其特征参数。根据测出的正常声门图及其参数分布研究了恶性喉病变、声带麻痹、喉内关节病变、功能性声门发声障碍、声带息肉、声带小结、喉炎和早期喉病的临床声门图表现及其与声带振动模式变异之间的关系,并探讨了上述病变声门图的鉴别诊断指标和用声门图对喉病手术治疗、药物治疗和功能治疗的疗效进行定性和定量评价。研究结果证实:声门图方法能准确、定量、灵敏地反映声带振动模式及其变异;在喉病诊治中具有重要的应用价值。     

Nucleotide changes around the splicing acceptor of intron 24 in the factor VIII gene and its impact on splicing.

Nucleotide 6724 of the factor VIII gene harbors a polymorphism of low frequency. A report from Taiwan claimed that 97.9% of the 83 alleles examined were of the A nucleotide at this position, which is quite different to the data from Western populations. Furthermore, this nucleotide is the start of exon 25, located in juxtaposition to the splicing acceptor of intron 24. We wonder if the nucleotide change at this location might have any effect on the splicing process of pre-mRNA. Using genomic DNA with direct sequencing of the polymerase chain reaction-amplified intron 24/exon 25 junction site, we found that 59 of the 60 patient samples were of the GTG sequence at nucleotides 6724-6726. The polymorphism is similar between populations in Taiwan and Western countries. The sequence of intron 24 around the splicing acceptor was always TCCAACTCTATTGCCCTCAG (-20 to -1), except for one hemophiliac patient who had a mutation in which the absolute consensus AG doublet of the intron 24 splicing acceptor changed to the AA dinucleotide. Owing to the mutation, exon 24 was erroneously spliced to exon 26, and exon 25 was skipped. This finding further testifies to the importance of the invariant AG dinucleotide in the example of the factor VIII gene.