Search

Copyright of Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objective: To study the impact of IFN-gamma on liver fibrosis and its possible mechanism. Thirty healthy male SD rats were randomly divided into two groups: fibrosis model group, IFN-gamma treatment group. Experimental liver fibrosis was induced by subcutaneous injection of CCl4. After 12-week-treatment, serum hyalurnic acid and TGF-beta1 was examined, histopathological changes and degrees of fibrosis were observed by optical microscopy. Meanwhile, the expression of TGF-beta1, TbetaR- I and Smad2/3 proteins was detected by immunohistochemistry and quantified by using computerized image analysis., Results: (1) Pathological observation of hepatic specimens: histological examination showed that there were significant difference between normal group and fibrosis model group by comparing with the degrees of inflammation and fibrosis (P < 0.05). And the difference between fibrosis model group and IFN-gamma treatment group was significant (P < 0.05). (2) Changes of the hepatic fibrosis index (serum HA and TGF-beta1): the levels of serum HA, TGF-beta1 in fibrosis model group were higher than IFN-gamma treatment groups (P < 0.05). (3) Changes of gene protein levels about TGF-beta1/Smad: the expressions of TGF-beta1, TbetaR- I and Smad2/3 in rat hepatic tissue were detected with immunohistochemistry techniques. The expressions of the three items in model group were higher than normal group (P < 0.01). The difference between model group and IFN-gamma treatment group was significant (P < 0.05);, Conclusion: IFN-gamma treatment group had significant results on treating experimental hepatic fibrosis. By the way of inhibiting expressions of TGF-beta1, TbetaR- I, Smad2/3, IFN-gamma treatment group exerted its anti-fibrosis effect.

Objective: To investigate the in vivo functional roles of the La autoantigen (La), the human homologue of the 33-kDa vesicle-associated membrane protein-associated protein (hVAP-33), and the subunit gamma of the human eukaryotic initiation factors 2B (eIF2Bgamma) as co-infection factors supporting chronic infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV)., Methods: Small interfering (si)RNAs were designed against the HCV internal ribosome entry site (IRES) and transfected into Huh7 cells chronically infected with the HCV pseudovirus (designated as Huh7-HCV cells). The IRES siRNA producing the most effective silencing was selected for further analysis by fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). siRNAs designed against La, hVAP-33, and eIF2Bgamma and the IRES-specific siRNA were then transfected, respectively or in various combinations, into the Huh7-HCV cell line for 48 h. The delta CT values were calculated and used to compare the HCV inhibitive efficacies of the siRNAs in isolation or in combination. Western blotting analysis was used to compare the quantity of core protein expression in each group., Results: The four gene-specific siRNAs, in isolation or in combination, caused inhibition of HCV replication and gene and protein expressions to varying degrees. The combination of La + IRES siRNAs produced the strongest inhibition of HCV core antigen expression. The combinations of hVAP-33 + IRES siRNAs and eIF2Bgamma + IRES siRNAs produced stronger inhibitions of HCV replication and gene and protein expressions than either hVAP-33 siRNA or eIF2Bgamma siRNA alone., Conclusion: La, hVAP-33, and eIF2Bgamma act as co-infection factors of HCV chronic infection in vivo. HCV replication and gene and protein expression can be inhibited significantly by RNA interference of these co-infection factors and/or HCV IRES.

Objective: To evaluate the burden of paratyphoid fever A in Hongta district, Yuxi city, Yunnan province from May 1, 2008 to April 30, 2009 so as to provide information for the development of comprehensive intervention measures., Methods: Based on the Fever Syndromic Surveillance System, information as attendance rate of patients with fever, rate of patients being sampled, laboratory testing rate, sensitivity on the detection of blood culture and the rate of case reporting etc. were calculated. According to the pyramid model of food-borne disease on disease burden, the local actual incidence of paratyphoid fever A was estimated and analyzed., Results: Under the Fever Syndromic Surveillance System, there were 6642 fever cases being detected, among whom 6570 cases were sampled and undergone testing, with the sampling rate as 98.92% and all the samples received laboratory testing. There were 354 positive cases of paratyphoid fever A reported, all from the Hongta district. Data showed that the attendance rate of the feverish patients was 73.53%, with the highest rate seen in whose under 10 years old (100%). Assumed that the sensitivity of paratyphoid fever blood culture was 70%, and the case reporting rate was 90%, we estimated that the annual incidence of paratyphoid fever A in Hongta was 220.33 (95%CI: 170.1 - 521.4) per 100 thousand, with 965 (95%CI: 745 - 2284) as new cases. Among all the age groups, the incidence in the age group from 15 to 44 years old was estimated to be at the highest (318.27 per 100 thousand)., Conclusion: Hongta seemed to be an endemic region for paratyphoid fever A, with the highest incidence occurred in the age group of between 15 and 44 years old. These findings highlighted the urgent need to carry out further investigation on the risk factors and to implement targeted effective prevention and control measures.

Objective: To characterize the spatial distribution of typhoid and paratyphoid fever (TPF) in Yunnan province, China and to determine the effectiveness of meteorological factors on the epidemics of TPF., Methods: Data of reported TPF cases in Yunnan province (2001 - 2007) from the China Information System for Diseases Control and Prevention was applied to GIS-based spatial analyses to detect their spatial distribution and clustering of TPF incidence at the county level. Panel data analysis was used to identify the relationships between the TPF incidence and meteorological factors including monthly average temperature, monthly cumulative precipitation and monthly average relative humidity., Results: During the study period, the average incidence of TPF in Yunnan province was 23.11/100 000, with majority of the TPF cases emerged in summer and autumn. Although widely distributed, two TPF clusters were detected in Yunnan province based on the spatial analysis: one area around Yuxi city with the average annual incidence as 207.45/100 000 and another at the junctions of Yunnan province with Burma and Laos. Based on results from panel data analysis, the incidence of TFP was shown to be associated with meteorological factors such as temperature, precipitation, relative humidity and one month lag of temperature increase [10°C increase in the monthly average temperature: IRR = 1.30 (95%CI: 1.24 - 1.36); 10% increase in monthly average relative humidity: IRR = 1.07 (95%CI: 1.05 - 1.09); 100 mm rise in monthly cumulative precipitation: IRR = 1.02 (95%CI: 1.00 - 1.03); and 10°C average temperature increase, the last month: IRR = 1.73 (95%CI: 1.64 - 1.82)]., Conclusion: Areas with high TPF incidence were detected in this study, which indicated the key areas for TPF control in Yunnan province. Meteorological factors such as temperature, precipitation and humidity played a role in the incidence of TPF.