儿童腹部囊性肿块CT分析

目的分析儿童腹部囊性肿块CT特征。方法分类统计临床病理证实的101例儿童腹部囊性肿块,总结其CT特征。结果①真性囊肿30例（29．7％）,其CT表现相似。②假性囊肿14例（13．8％）,其中胰腺假性囊肿11例、脑脊液假性囊肿3例,CT表现各异。③囊性畸形26例（25．7％）,其中肠系膜囊肿8例,网膜囊肿4例,胃肠道重复畸形3例,胆总管囊肿9例,脐尿管囊肿2例,其CT表现多呈光滑的囊性肿块。④囊性肿瘤24例（23．8％）,其中囊性畸胎瘤13例,多发生在腹膜后、卵巢和骶尾部;浆液性和粘液性囊腺瘤各4例,发生在卵巢和胰腺,4例浆液性囊腺瘤CT呈微腔肿瘤,4例粘液性囊腺瘤CT呈大囊病灶;2例肝脏间充质错构瘤,CT呈低密度多房性肿块;1例多房性囊性肾瘤,CT呈边界清楚、厚度不均的多分隔肿块。⑤腔道积水、积脓7例（6．9％）,其中单侧肾积水5例,阑尾脓肿2例。结论儿童腹部最常见囊性肿块是真性囊肿,其次是囊性畸形、囊性肿瘤和假性囊肿,其CT表现各有特征。     

Serological and virological studies of Japanese encephalitis in the Terai region of Nepal.

In 1987 and 1990, serum samples were collected from people living in the two districts (Itahari and Chitwan) of the Terai region of Nepal. Antibodies against Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus in these sera were detected by the hemagglutination inhibition (HI) and neutralization (N) tests. By the HI test, 26 out of 172 (15.1%) sera from Chitwan and 15 out of 137 (10.9%) sera from Itahari showed positive titers. Higher positive rates were shown by the N test, where 46 out of 172 (26.7%) sera from Chitwan and 22 out of 137 (16.1%) sera from Itahari had antibodies against JE virus. A JE strain was isolated from a blood specimen of a pig raised in Kathmandu. When the nucleotide sequence of the pre-M region of the strain was compared to the same region of the other JE virus strains reported, the highest similarity was observed to the strains isolated in Nepal in 1985. These results suggest that the Terai region has been an epidemic area of JE.     

Alum increases antigen uptake, reduces antigen degradation and sustains antigen presentation by DCs in vitro

Aluminium adjuvants (alum) have been the only widely approved adjuvants for use in human vaccines since the 1920s, however, the mechanism of action of these adjuvants remains elusive. Due to increasing demand for novel adjuvants, a clearer understanding of the mechanisms that allow these important agents to affect adaptive immune responses will make a significant contribution to the rational design of future vaccines. Using a novel approach to tracking antigen and antigen presentation, we demonstrate that alum induces higher antigen accumulation and increased antigen presentation by dendritic cells (DCs) in vitro. Antigen accumulation was 100-fold higher and antigen presentation 10-fold higher following alum treatment when compared with soluble protein alone. We also observed that alum causes an initial reduction in presentation compared with soluble antigen, but eventually increases the magnitude and duration of antigen presentation. This was associated with reduced protein degradation in DCs following alum treatment. These studies demonstrate the dynamic alterations in antigen processing and presentation induced by alum that underlie enhanced DC function in response to this adjuvant.