地塞米松预处理对氧糖剥夺大鼠血脑屏障通透性的影响

目的探讨地塞米松(dexamethasone,DEX)对氧糖剥夺(oxygen glucose deprivation,OGD)条件下大鼠血脑屏障通透性的影响。方法提取纯化大鼠脑微血管内皮细胞,建立血脑屏障OGD模型。在OGD不同时间点(0、30、60 min),以及DEX预处理OGD 60min时,应用辣根过氧化物酶渗漏实验分析血脑屏障的通透性;应用RT-PCR和western blot法分析大鼠脑微血管内皮细胞的紧密连接相关蛋白claudin-5的mRNA和蛋白的表达变化;同时应用免疫荧光方法观察细胞膜上claudin-5的变化。结果与对照组相比,OGD 30、60min,辣根过氧化物酶流量均显著升高;与OGD 60min相比,DEX预处理显著降低了辣根过氧化物酶流量。与对照组相比,OGD30、60min,claudin-5的mRNA和蛋白表达水平均显著降低;与OGD 60min相比,DEX预处理显著增加了claudin-5的mRNA和蛋白表达。免疫荧光观察claudin-5在细胞膜上的表达,与对照组相比,OGD 60min时claudin-5的表达明显减少,DEX预处理后显著增加了claudin-5的表达。结论 DEX预处理降低了OGD条件下的血脑屏障通透性,其机制之一是DEX增加紧密连接相关蛋白claudin-5的表达。     

Avian Influenza H5N1 Surveillance and its Dynamics in Poultry in Live Bird Markets,Egypt

H5N1, a highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1 HPAI), is an endemic disease that is significant for public health in Egypt. Live bird markets (LBMs) are widespread in Egypt and play an important role in HPAI disease dynamics. The aim of the study was to evaluate the H5N1 HPAI prevalence in representative LBMs from 2009 to 2014, assess the effects of other variables and evaluate past outbreaks and human cases. It was found that ducks and geese are high‐risk species and that the prevalence of H5N1 HPAI was higher immediately after the political crises of 2011. The end of a calendar year (June to December) was a high‐risk period for positive samples, and the risk in urban LBMs was twice the risk in rural LBMs. Winter and political unrest was associated with higher H5N1 HPAI prevalence. Both human and poultry populations will continue to rise in Egypt, so continued poultry outbreaks are likely to be linked to more human cases. LBMs will continue to play a role in the dynamics of poultry disease in Egypt, and there is a need to reorganize markets in terms of biosecurity and traceability. It may also be beneficial to reduce inter‐governorate inter‐regional movements associated with poultry trade through promotion of regional trade or in the alternative provide sanitary features along the poultry market chain to reduce the speed of H5N1 HPAI infections. Policy formulation, design and enforcement must be pro‐poor, and consideration of the sociocultural and economic realities in Egypt is important. The LBMs provide ideal platforms to carry out sound surveillance plans and mitigate zoonotic risks of H5N1 HPAI to humans.     

甲醛对人Ⅱ型肺泡上皮细胞DNA氧化和甲基化水平的影响

目的：分析甲醛染毒对体外培养的人Ⅱ型肺泡上皮细胞(A549)内8-羟基鸟嘌呤脱氧核苷(8-oxo-dG)水平、DNA5-甲基胞嘧啶(5-mC)含量的影响及其时间-效应和剂量-效应关系，探讨甲醛所致的细胞DNA氧化与DNA甲基化的关联性。方法：用5～20μmol/L甲醛作用于A549细胞，用高压液相色谱串联电化学检测技术分析细胞DNA8-oxo-dG水平，用免疫荧光和高效毛细管电泳法检测细胞全基因组DNA5-mC含量改变。 结果：甲醛染毒提高了细胞8-oxo-dG水平，但是降低了细胞的DNA5-mC含量。甲醛致细胞DNA氧化与DNA甲基化呈现不同特点，A549细胞暴露于20 μmol/L 甲醛后，DNA氧化水平在1周甚至更早时间就已显著增高，而相同条件下DNA 甲基化水平的改变需要6周以上的时间，DNA 甲基化的改变滞后于DNA氧化。 A549细胞经5～20μmol/L甲醛染毒8周后，DNA氧化水平与甲醛剂量呈正相关关系，而同样条件下DNA甲基化水平与甲醛剂量呈负相关关系。 结论：甲醛染毒可提高DNA氧化水平，降低细胞DNA甲基化水平。在甲醛的毒作用效应中，细胞DNA氧化损伤可能是早于其DNA甲基化的一个重要分子事件。     

Gene Therapy Targeting HIV Entry

Despite the unquestionable success of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in the treatment of HIV infection, the cost, need for daily adherence, and HIV-associated morbidities that persist despite ART all underscore the need to develop a cure for HIV. The cure achieved following an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) using HIV-resistant cells, and more recently, the report of short-term but sustained, ART-free control of HIV replication following allogeneic HSCT, using HIV susceptible cells, have served to both reignite interest in HIV cure research, and suggest potential mechanisms for a cure. In this review, we highlight some of the obstacles facing HIV cure research today, and explore the roles of gene therapy targeting HIV entry, and allogeneic stem cell transplantation in the development of strategies to cure HIV infection.     

Involvement of leukotriene B4 in dermatophyte-related itch in mice

BackgroundProteinase-activated receptor-2 (PAR₂) is involved in dermatophyte-induced scratching and leukotriene B₄ (LTB₄) release from keratinocytes. We investigated whether PAR₂-mediated LTB₄ production is involved in dermatophyte-induced scratching.MethodsDermatophyte extract was injected intradermally and scratching was observed in mice. LTB₄ was determined by enzyme immunoassay.ResultsDermatophyte extract-induced scratching was inhibited by zileuton (5-lipoxygenase inhibitor), ONO-4057 (LTB₄ antagonist), FSLLRY-NH₂ (PAR₂ antagonist), and anti-PAR₂ antibody. Dermatophyte extract injection increased the cutaneous content of LTB₄, which was inhibited by zileuton and FSLLRY-NH₂.ConclusionThese results suggest the involvement of LTB₄ in dermatophyte-associated itch. LTB₄ production might be due to PAR₂ stimulation in the skin.     

Development of a clinical prediction model for an international normalised ratio ≥ 4·5 in hospitalised patients using vitamin K antagonists

Vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) used for the prevention and treatment of thromboembolic disease, increase the risk of bleeding complications. We developed and validated a model to predict the risk of an international normalised ratio (INR) ≥ 4·5 during a hospital stay. Adult patients admitted to a tertiary hospital and treated with VKAs between 2006 and 2010 were analysed. Bleeding risk was operationalised as an INR value ≥4·5. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to assess the association between potential predictors and an INR ≥ 4·5 and validated in an independent cohort of patients from the same hospital between 2011 and 2014. We identified 8996 admissions of patients treated with VKAs, of which 1507 (17%) involved an INR ≥ 4·5. The final model included the following predictors: gender, age, concomitant medication and several biochemical parameters. Temporal validation showed a c statistic of 0·71. We developed and validated a clinical prediction model for an INR ≥ 4·5 in VKA‐treated patients admitted to our hospital. The model includes factors that are collected during routine care and are extractable from electronic patient records, enabling easy use of this model to predict an increased bleeding risk in clinical practice.     

An animal component free medium that promotes the growth of various animal cell lines for the production of viral vaccines

IPT-AFM is a proprietary animal component free medium that was developed for rabies virus (strain LP 2061) production in Vero cells. In the present work, we demonstrated the versatility of this medium and its ability to sustain the growth of other cell lines and different virus strains. Here, three models were presented: Vero cells/rabies virus (strain LP 2061), MRC-5 cells/measles virus (strain AIK-C) and BHK-21 cells/rabies virus (strain PV-BHK21). The cell lines were first adapted to grow in IPT-AFM, by progressive reduction of the amount of serum in the culture medium. After their adaptation, BHK-21 cells grew in suspension by forming clumps, whereas MRC-5 cells remained adherent. Then, kinetics of cell growth were studied in agitated cultures for both cell lines. In addition, kinetics of virus replication were investigated.