The progressive outer retinal necrosis syndrome

The progressive outer retinal necrosis (PORN) syndrome is a recently described clinical variant of necrotizing herpetic retinopathy in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is caused by varicellazoster virus infection of the retina. Its course and clinical features distinguish it from the acute retinal necrosis syndrome and CMV retinopathy. Early disease is characterized by multifocal deep retinal opacification. Lesions rapidly coalesce and progress to total retinal necrosis over a short period of time. Despite aggressive therapy with intravenous antivirial drugs, prognosis is poor; disease progression and/or recurrence is common, and the majority of patients develop no light perception vision. Total retinal detachments are common. Prophylaxis against retinal detachment using laser retinopexy has not been useful in most cases. PORN syndrome is an uncommon, but devastating complication of AIDS.     

Nasal lavage leukotrienes in infants with RSV bronchiolitis

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) bronchiolitis is a very common infection in infants and, after the acute phase, a number of patients develop a reactive airway disease that lasts for years. Although the pathogenesis of the lung damage after RSV bronchiolitis is still largely unknown, previous studies suggest that leukotrienes may play an active part in it. The aim of this study was to measure leukotriene levels in the nasal lavage fluid (NLF) collected in infants during RSV bronchiolitis and 1 month later. Cysteinyl leukotrienes (Cys-LTs) and leukotriene B(4) (LTB(4)) were measured in the NLF of 22 infants with their first episode of RSV bronchiolitis and 16 healthy infants. A second NLF sample was collected to measure leukotriene levels 1 month after the acute disease. NLF Cys-LT levels were significantly higher in infants with RSV bronchiolitis than in healthy controls [950 pg/ml (285.5-2155.9) vs. 110.5 pg/ml (66.5-451.3), p = 0.01], and they remained so a month after the acute infection (p = 0.02). A subanalysis showed no difference in Cys-LTs concentrations, either between bronchiolitis infants with and without a family history of atopy, or between those with and without passive exposure to cigarette smoke. No significant difference was found between the LTB(4) levels measured in the bronchiolitis cases and the control children. Cys-LTs are significantly increased in the NLF of infants with acute RSV bronchiolitis, and remain so at 1-month follow-up, suggesting a possible role of these eicosanoids in the pathogenesis of the disease.     

Prevalence of hepatitis C virus antibody in an area endemic for hepatitis B virus and human T cell leukaemia virus

To clarify the prevalence of concurrent infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV), hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human T cell leukaemia virus (HTLV), we measured HCV antibody in the population of a district endemic for HBV and HTLV infection. Blood samples were collected in June 1990 from 579 inhabitants of four islands of Uwa Bay in the southwest of Ehime Prefecture in Japan. Anti-HCV antibody against C100-3 protein was detected using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit (Ortho Diagnostics). Thirteen of the 579 inhabitants (2.2%) were positive for anti-HCV, and this prevalence rate was not significantly different from the frequency of anti-HCV in Tokyo blood donors. A total of 11% (64 of 579) of the subjects were positive for HBsAg and 3.3% (19 of 579) were positive for anti-HTLV. These frequencies of HBsAg and anti-HTLV positivity were distinctly higher than the respective means of Japanese. All anti-HCV positive individuals were negative for HBsAg and anti-HTLV, while 54% (7 of 13) had increased alanine aminotransferase levels. These data suggest that the prevalence of HCV infection is not high even in an area endemic for HBV and HTLV infection.     

Establishment and characterization of a chronic infectious mononucleosislike syndrome in common marmosets

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) was inoculated into two species of marmosets. Successful infection was established in the majority of the animals of one species, Callithrix jacchus, as evidenced by the development of high, persistent levels of antibody against virus-specific capsid and early nonstructural proteins. Antibodies also were produced against the major membrane antigen and, in some animals, against EBV nuclear antigen (EBNA) 2 but not against EBNA 1. This is the antibody profile normally noted in individuals with chronic infectious mononucleosis (IM). EBV-induced lymphoproliferation was not seen, and EBV-specific proteins were not detected in the peripheral blood lymphocytes of infected animals. Hence, EBV infection in C. jacchus apparently does not generally include extensive B-cell involvement. However, the marmosets clearly are useful as a model for EBV primary infection and also possibly for chronic IM.     

登革病毒感染蚊虫后几个器官敏感性的比较

以浓度为4×10~8TCID_(50)/ml和4×10～5TCID_(50)/ml的病毒液经口感染,4×10~8TCID_(50)/ml和4×10~2TCID_(50)/ml病毒液经胸接种白纹伊蚊(Aedes albopictus)。结果表明1、脑和神经节感染率相同,2、神经系统对病毒敏感性较涎腺高。     

拉米夫定阻断乙型肝炎病毒宫内传播的临床探讨

【目的】研究拉米夫定对HBsAg阳性孕妇的乙肝病毒 (HBV)宫内阻断作用。【方法】拉米夫定组 43例 ,孕 2 8周起口服拉米夫定 ,每天 10 0mg至产后 30d。对照组 5 2例 ,未予用药。两组孕妇均于孕 2 8周、分娩前 ,其新生儿于生后 2 4h内免疫接种前抽静脉血检测HBsAg、HBeAg及HBV的定量。【结果】拉米夫定组孕妇HBV的DNA水平显著下降 (P <0 0 5 ) ,其新生儿宫内感染率 (16 3% )明显低于对照组 (32 7% ) ,P <0 0 5。两组孕妇及其新生儿未发现有不良反应。【结论】携带HBV孕妇产前服用拉米夫定可有效减少HBV宫内感染发生率。     

乙型肝炎病毒转基因小鼠体内肝靶向反义RNA抗病毒疗效研究

目的：探讨半乳糖修饰的反义RNA真核表达质粒在乙型肝炎病毒转基因小鼠体内的抗病毒作用。方法：以半乳糖多聚赖氨酸（Gal-PLL)作肝靶向载体，将乙型肝炎病毒基因C区的反义RNA真核表达重组质粒（pCEP4-aC）制备为Gal-PLL－pCEP4-aC。将24只血清HBV DNA、HBsAg阳性的小鼠，随机等分为Gal-PLL－pCEP4-aC治疗组、Gal-PLL-pCEP4对照组和生理盐水阴性对照组，于实验第1天尾静脉分别注射Gal-PLL－pCEP4-aC、Gal-PLL－pCEP4（100μg/只）和等体积的生理盐水，观察治疗前后血清HBV DNA以及HBsAg变化。结果：Gal-PLL－pCEP4-aC治疗组21天时血清HBV－DNA转阴率62．5％（5／8），且7，14，21天时血清HBsAg明显降低；而Gal-PLL－pCEP4组血清HBV DNA转阴1只（1／8），生理盐水组8只均未转阴，两组用药后血清中HBsAg与用药前比较差异性均不明显（P＞0．05）。结论：肝靶向反义RNA能在乙肝基因小鼠体内抑制HBV的复制和抗原表达。     

慢性肝病和肝癌中HCV核心区三种寡肽抗原的抗体检测

检测１４８例慢性肝病和肝癌患者血清中丙型肝炎病毒核心区３种寡肽抗原的抗体，结果显示其阳性率在慢性迁延型肝炎、慢性活动型肝炎、肝炎肝硬化和原发性肝癌患者分别为７．７％，２３．１％，，２３．５％和１６．３％。在抗体阳性者中８０％以上有乙型肝炎病毒感染证据，提示我国ＨＢＶ和ＨＶＣ重叠感染较为常见。     

精子洗涤对精液中HBV DNA含量的影响

目的：检查HBV感染者精液是否存在乙型肝炎病毒（HBV），探讨精子洗涤是否能去除其中的HBV DNA。方法：用实时荧光定量PCR（FQ-PCR）法检测57名血清HBsAg阳性患者精液中HBV DNA，采用Percoll非连续梯度离心及上游法分离其中21份精液，并对洗涤后标本进行HBV DNA检测。结果：62份精液标本中有15份HBV DNA阳性，阳性率为24.19%;21份用于洗涤的精液标本中有，有7份HBV DNA阳性，洗涤后仍有6份标本阳性。结论：部分HBV感染者精液具有传染性，精子洗涤不能完全去除精液中的乙肝病毒。将HBV感染者的精液用于人工授精或体外受精应慎重。