Efficacy of inactivated vaccine against H5N1 influenza virus infection in mice with type 1 diabetes

We sought to determine susceptibility to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus and to explore immune protection of inactivated H5N1 vaccine in streptozotocin-induced type 1 diabetic mice. Susceptibility of diabetic mice to an H5N1 virus was evaluated by comparing the median lethal dose (LD₅₀) and the lung virus titers with those of the healthy after the viral infection. To evaluate the influence of diabetes on vaccination, diabetic and healthy mice were immunized once with an inactivated H5N1 vaccine and then challenged with a lethal dose of H5N1 virus. The antibody responses, survival rates, lung virus titers and body weight changes were tested. Mice with type 1 diabetes had higher lung virus titers and lower survival rates than healthy mice after H5N1 virus infection. Inactivated H5N1 vaccine induced protective antibody in diabetic mice, but the antibody responses were postponed and weakened. In spite of this, diabetic mice could be protected against the lethal virus challenge by a single dose of immunization when the amount of the antigen increased. These results indicated that type 1 diabetic mice were more susceptible to H5N1 influenza virus infection than healthy mice, and can be effectively protected by inactivated H5N1 vaccine with increased antigen.     

Development of duck hepatitis A virus type 3 vaccine and its use to protect ducklings against infections

A variant type of duck hepatitis A virus (DHAV), DHAV-3 was recently discovered in South Korea and China. Sequence analyses verified that the variant is genetically or serologically different from the DHAV-1 and DHAV-2 types. Duck hepatitis had been reported in South Korea since 1985 and an attenuated DHAV-1 vaccine had efficiently prevented epidemics of DHAV-1 until 2002. Despite the DHAV-1 based vaccine in use the novel DHAV-3 circulating in South Korea remains to be a threat to duckling farming. To develop a live attenuated vaccine against DHAV-3, a representative isolate, AP-04203, was therefore attenuated by repeated passages in SPF chicken embryos 100 times. The 100th passaged virus, AP-04203P100, did not cause clinical sign and mortality in 1-day-old ducklings as well as reversion of virulence capacity. The ducklings vaccinated with AP-04203P100 virus (10^3.0 ELD₅₀/0.2 ml) on 1-day-old age via the intramuscular injection were well protected from 2 days after challenge with pathogenic AP04203P1 virus via the intramuscular route. In addition, the vaccine candidate also exhibited complete protection against currently circulating pathogenic DHAV-3 isolates.     

胃癌DNA倍体、SPF与肿瘤生物学行为的关系

目的以2010年4月-2010年10月从手术室取材的43例新鲜胃癌组织标本为研究对象,研究胃癌细胞DNA的异倍体率和S期分数（SPF〉15%）百分率与肿瘤临床病理因素的相关性。方法采用流式细胞仪测定43例胃癌细胞DNA含量及倍体、S期分数以及对应的癌旁细胞的DNA含量及倍体、S期分数,对照临床资料进行分析。结果胃癌组织细胞的异倍体率及SPF（〉15%）的百分率与癌旁组织细胞的差别有统计学意义（P〈0.01）。在肿瘤的分化程度（高中分化、低分化及印戒细胞癌,P〈0.05）、浸润程度（黏膜及黏膜下、肌层、肌层至浆膜外,P〈0.05）、TNM分期（Ⅰ-Ⅱ、Ш-Ⅴ期,P〈0.05）之间的差别有统计学意义,而在淋巴结转移（阳性、阴性,P〉0.05）差别无统计学意义。结论用流式细胞仪分析胃癌DNA含量及倍体类型、S期分数对疾病的早期诊断、研究胃癌的生物学行为,了解疾病预后、指导临床综合治疗具有重要价值。     

Studies on naturally occurring infectious bursal disease viruses suggest that a single amino acid substitution at position 253 in VP2 increases pathogenicity

Three classic IBDV strains were previously isolated from commercial layer chicken flocks and shown to be phylogenetically related to vaccine strains but pathogenic in susceptible chickens. In this study, their viral genomes were sequenced and compared to sequences of vaccines being used in those flocks. The vaccine strains examined were sequenced directly from the manufacturer and had identical genome segment B sequences. Compared to these vaccines, the GA-1, H-30 and CS-2-35 isolates each had one silent mutation in the gene that encodes VP1. Compared to the two vaccines used at the time CS-2-35 was isolated, the segment A sequence of CS-2-35 contained numerous nucleotide and amino acid mutations suggesting the CS-2-35 virus was not closely related to these vaccines. This virus however did have amino acid mutations in VP2 that are reported to be necessary for replication in cell culture and lacked two of the three amino acid mutations previously shown to be necessary for virulence. These data suggest that CS-2-35 was a descendant from an attenuated strain of IBDV. When the segment A genomic sequences of the GA-1 and H-30 viruses were compared to the vaccines being used in those flocks they were most closely related to the attenuated D78 vaccine strain. In genome segment A, three nucleotide mutations in GA-1 and four in H-30 were observed compared to the D78 classic vaccine. These nucleotide mutations caused one amino acid (H253N) change in the GA-1 virus and two amino acids (H253Q and G259D) were different in the H-30 virus. In addition, both the GA-1 and H-30 viruses had the amino acid G76 in VP2 that appears to be unique to the vaccine D78. The data suggest that GA-1 and H-30 are genetically related and have a common ancestor even though they were isolated from geographically distant flocks. The evidence also suggests that GA-1, H-30 and CS-2-35 could be reversions from attenuated vaccine viruses or by coincidence genetically resemble classic IBDV vaccines. It should be noted that some of the classic virus vaccines were not being used according to the manufacturer's recommendations at the time the GA-1, H-30 and CS-2-35 strains were isolated. Together, the molecular and pathogenicity data indicate that a single amino acid mutation from Histidine (H) to Glutamine (Q) or Asparagine (N) at position 253 in VP2 will markedly increase the virulence of an attenuated IBDV.     

Finding a useful conceptual basis for enhancing the quality of life of nursing home residents

In this article it is depicted that before nursing home staff can effectively contribute to optimising the quality of life (QOL) of nursing home residents, it has to be clear what exactly QOL is and how it can be enhanced. The aim is to identify a QOL framework that provides tools for optimising QOL and can form the basis for the development of guidelines for QOL enhancement. For that purpose, a framework should meet three basic criteria: (1) it should be based on assumptions about comprehensive QOL of human beings in general; (2) it should clearly describe the contribution of each dimension to QOL and identify relationships between the dimensions; (3) it should take individual preferences into account. After the criteria are defined, frameworks identified from a literature search are discussed and evaluated according to these criteria. The most suitable framework appears to be the QOL framework of the theory of Social Production Functions. The implications of this framework in understanding the QOL of nursing home residents are described and recommendations for further research are discussed.     

SPF级C57BL/6J小鼠生长发育和繁殖性能指标的测定

目的 在SPF级动物饲养条件下，对本中心饲养的SPF级C57BL／6J小鼠生长发育和繁殖性能指标进行测定。方法 挑选80～90日龄C57BL／6J小鼠40只（雌、雄各半），采取1：1间歇同居，兄妹近交繁殖，并统计其生长发育和繁殖性能参数指标。结论 SPF级C57BL／6J小鼠离乳后体重增长较慢；第2、3胎繁殖性能较好，第5胎最差，种鼠连续繁殖5胎后要更换。     

Ubiquinone and tocopherol: dissimilar siblings

Research on antioxidants and their potential health benefits expanded over the last decades from basic science to the medical and nutritional fields. This included supplementation studies of both vitamin E compounds and the endogenous antioxidant ubiquinone, to prevent or alleviate cardiovascular diseases and their pathophysiological consequences. In many of these studies, only one antioxidant or one group of antioxidants was considered, disregarding the pharmacological and toxicological properties of their metabolites as well as possible cooperative and competitive effects on the overall physiological response. There are many--often indirect--effects, especially in gene regulation, observed on administration of both compound groups in cells, which have been assigned to these molecules without identifying the cellular targets. Therefore, this article focuses on direct chemical and biochemical effects of ubiquinone- and alpha-tocopherol-related compounds, which are evident from direct binding studies or direct interaction leading to chemical modification of the compounds. These groups include para-benzoquinones (ubiquinone and alpha-tocopheryl quinone) and chroma(e)nols (alpha-tocopherol and bicyclic ubiquinone derivatives). Their effects as antioxidants, co-antioxidants, and pro-oxidants as well as direct interactions with proteins are considered, pointing out similarities and dissimilarities of the two compound groups in a wider context. The review of the isolated findings about one or a few of these compounds in the literature, disregarding structurally related compounds, suggests that comprehensive structure/activity relationship studies including related compounds would promote the understanding of biological functions and pharmacological effects of ubiquinone- and alpha-tocopherol-related compounds.     

SPF级KM小鼠主要脏器重量和血液生化值的测定

目的：建立本实验动物中心SPF级KM小鼠主要脏器,血液及血生化等指标的背景资料,并分析比较雌雄之间的差异。方法：（1）选取同日龄出生的SPF乳鼠200只,雌雄各半,分别在28、56、114日龄时随机抽取60只（雌雄各半）,活体称重,依次剖取心、肝等主要脏器器官称重,计算脏器系数。（2）同时采集28日龄SPF小鼠60只（雌雄各半）的血液,作血液学和血生化测定。结果：（1）同期雌、雄小鼠的心、肝、肺、肾、胸腺脏器系数差异显著（P〈0．01）;随着日龄增长心、肝、脾、肾、肾上腺和胸腺系数变小,但睾丸、附睾、卵巢和子宫系数增大。（2）28日龄雌、雄小鼠血液学检查表明HCT和PLT有差异（P〈0．05）;血生化检测表明ALT、AST、AKP、GLU、TG之间差异不显著（P〉0．05）,但CRE、TC、BUN结果差异显著（P〈0．01）。结论：性别因素对脏器重量、脏器系数以及血液、血生化指标都有一定的影响。