Detecting Candida albicans in human milk

Procedures for diagnosis of mammary candidosis, including laboratory confirmation, are not well defined. Lactoferrin present in human milk can inhibit growth of Candida albicans, thereby limiting the ability to detect yeast infections. The inhibitory effect of various lactoferrin concentrations on the growth of C. albicans in whole human milk was studied. The addition of iron to the milk led to a two- to threefold increase in cell counts when milk contained 3.0 mg of lactoferrin/ml and markedly reduced the likelihood of false-negative culture results. This method may provide the necessary objective support needed for diagnosis of mammary candidosis.     

Nucleolar localization of non-structural protein 3b, a protein specifically encoded by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus

The open reading frame 3 (ORF3) of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) genome encodes a predicted 154-amino acid protein, which lacks similarities to any known protein, and is named 3b. In this study, it was shown that 3b protein was predominately localized to nucleus with EGFP tag at its N- or C-terminus. The localization patterns were similar in different transfected cells. Immuno-fluorescence assay revealed that 3b protein was co-localized well with C23 in nucleolus. C23, B23 and fibrillarin all are important nucleolar proteins, which localize in the region of the nucleolus. Co-transfection of p3b-EGFP with pC23-DsRed, pB23-DsRed and pfibrillarin-DsRed further confirmed 3b's nucleolus localization. With construction of serial truncated mutants of 3b, a region (residues 134-154 aa) responsible for nucleolar localization was determinated in 3b protein. These results provide a new insight for further functional studies of SARS-CoV 3b protein.     

Multiplicity activation of herpes simplex virus in mouse neuroblastoma (C1300) cells

Summary The virus yields and number of infectious centres of HSV infected mouse neuroblastoma C1300 cells (clone 41 A₃) infected at different multiplicities of infection (MOI) were found to vary more than the differences of HSV concentrations of the virus suspensions used for infection of the cells. This suggested that a C1300 cell had to be infected with more than one HSV particle in order to produce progeny virus—multiplicity activation. The greater than expected enhancement of virus production of C1300 cell cultures receiving increasing MOI of HSV was probably not due to improved virus adsorption, nor influenced by non-virus factors in the virus inoculum stimulatory for HSV replication. A hypothesis, that the block in virus replication was promoted by an inhibitor of an HSV specified regulatory protein and could be overcome by the addition of HSV DNA copies in the infected cell, was supported by the results of two types of experiments. Presence of phosphonoformic acid, an inhibitor of the HSV specified DNA polymerase, in the culture medium of HSV infected permissive GMK cells resulted in non-linear relationships between virus yields and MOI. An HSV temperature sensitive mutant (ts B5), defective in a late structural protein, rescued wild type HSV in C1300 cells.With 4 Figures     

Localization of neurons projecting into the extrinsic penile smooth musculature of the pig: an experimental study on the retractor penis muscle

The aim of this study was to locate in male pigs the sensory and autonomic ganglia innervating the retractor penis muscle (RPM), which was taken as an experimental model of the genital smooth musculature. The retrograde neuronal tracers horseradish peroxidase (HRP), Fast Blue (FB), and diamidino yellow (DY) were injected into the bulbopenile portion of the left RPM. The tracers highlighted a different affinity for the neuronal structures, although labelled cells supplying the RPM were generally found in bilateral dorsal root ganglia (DRGs, S1-S3), in bilateral paravertebral ganglia (PaGs, L2-S3), and in the left and right caudal mesenteric ganglia (CMGs). The mean number of labelled FB cells was 795 (range, 645-952) in DRGs, 16046.25 (range, 10226-18742) in PaGs, and 635.25 (range, 333-786) in CMGs. The mean diameter of pseudounipolar DRG cells was 60-75 microm, while the multipolar neurons of PaGs and CMGs had dimensions varying between 20-50 microm and 20-30 microm, respectively.     

Consensus statement on the bio-safety of urinary-derived gonadotrophins with respect to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

Human transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) encompass a group of rare neurodegenerative diseases. In April 2004, a group of international experts and regulators met in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to review the safety and to reach consensus on the use of urinary-derived gonadotrophins with respect to TSE. Iatrogenic transmission of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) from pituitary-derived gonadotrophins has been reported, no infectivity in urine has been demonstrated, and no definite cases of transmission via urine have been reported. It is currently not possible to monitor donor urine or finished product for the presence of prions. Therefore the assessment of risk has to be based on the likelihood of infection in urine, the source of the urine, and the capacity of the manufacturing process to remove any adventitious infection. Urine for the production of medicinal products should be obtained from sources that minimize the possible presence of materials derived from subjects suffering from human TSE. As no strong evidence for TSE infectivity in urine exists, it can be concluded that the risk of disease-generating prions and TSE infectivity being present in donor urine is low. Current evidence indicates that, with respect to the risk of TSE infection, urinary-derived gonadotrophins appear to be safe.     

集体心理干预对儿童屈光参差性弱视治疗的影响

目的评价集体心理干预治疗在屈光参差性弱视儿童中治疗的价值.方法将门诊就诊的屈光参差性弱视儿童随机分为集体心理干预联合弱视综合治疗组(43例49 眼),同期就诊的39例42 眼行弱视综合治疗,作为对照组,观察起效时间、依从性及疗效.结果集体心理干预治疗起效快于综合治疗(21.1±0.6天/30.5±3.3天,t=4.89, P＜0.001).治疗三月后,集体心理干预组依从性良好的有79.1%(34/43),综合治疗组依从性良好的有53.8%(21/39),集体心理干预治疗的依从性好于综合治疗组(χ2=5.892,P=0.015).治疗六月后,两组有效率差异无统计学意义(92%/83%,χ2=1.539,P=0.215).但集体心理干预治疗组的治愈率为高于综合治疗组(27% (13/49)/7% (3/42),χ2=5.866,P=0.015).结论集体心理干预治疗可以提高屈光参差性弱视治疗的依从性,缩短疗程,提高治愈率.     

中国少年智力量表的信度研究

目的：对中国少年智力量表（CISJ）进行信度分析。方法：采用分半相关、Alpha系数和复测相关等方法对CISJ常模样本资料作统计分析。结果：①分半信度：各分测验及言语、操作和总量表的分半相关系数在0．39-0.92之间，其中各常模年龄组样本，城镇为0．39～0.91、农村为0.42～0.92，而城镇总样本、农村总样本和全体样本则分别为0.57-0．88、0.63～0．90和0.61-0.89。②Alpha系数分析：除4个系数偏低（0.29～0．39）外，其余都比较高，在0.41-0.84之间，0．50以上的达到95％。③复测信度：各分测验及言语、操作、智力因素量表分数和智商的相关系数在0.47-0．85之间；除数字背诵分测验为0.47外，其余均在0．69以上。结论：CISJ具有较高的内部稳定性和复测一致性，是信度比较理想的智力量表。     

Significance of cytogenetic and fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis in evaluating antichronic myeloid leukemia efficacy of different immune effector cells

We report on the antileukemia effect of interleukin 2 (IL2) on different immune cells from 22 patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Bone marrow cells from these patients were first cultured in modified long-term bone marrow culture medium for several days, then separately cultured with lymphokine activated killer cells (LAK), cytokine-induced killer cells (CIK), and dendritic cell cocultured CIK (DC-CIK) for another 1-2 days. They were then detected for presence of the Philadelphia chromosome (Ph) by cytogenetic analysis and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). The percentage of Ph-chromosome-positive cells in the bone marrow mononuclear cells after culturing with CIK and DC-CIK was significantly lower than that after culturing with IL2 or LAK. Our results demonstrate that cytogenetics and FISH are useful techniques for the evaluation of the anti-CML effect of immune cells and that CIK or DC-CIK can be appropriate candidates for adoptive immune cell therapy in vivo or for leukemia cell purging ex vivo.     

体外培养大鼠脊髓运动神经元的存活率及形态观察

观察体外培养的大鼠脊髓运动神经元(SMN)的存活率、形态学特征及生长规律。对今后进一步研究脊髓损伤、运动神经元病有一定的指导意义。1材料与方法1·1实验动物:胚胎16 d的SD大鼠。1·2主要试剂:15%有血清L-15培养基、无血清L-15培养基、poly-L-lysine、层黏连蛋白(lam in in)、m etrizam ide、阿糖胞苷、DAB等(S igm a公司),小牛血清白蛋白、小牛血清(华美生物工程公司),胆碱乙酰转移酶多克隆抗体(ChAT)(武汉博士德公司)。1·3实验仪器:离心机、超净台、CO2恒温培养箱、24孔培养板、倒置显微镜(OLYMPUS)、图像分析系统(OLYMPU…