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The rotating magnetocaloric effect has been researched in double perovskite Tb $$_{2}$$ CoMnO $$_{6}$$ by Monte Carlo simulation. The magnetization, specific heat and isothermal entropy change are presented for magnetic fields in different directions ( $$h\parallel c$$ and $$h\perp c$$ ). The rotating magnetic entropy, transition temperature and relative cooling power are given as well. Due to the different magnetic anisotropy, the spin of Co $$^{2+}$$ /Mn $$^{4+}$$ is parallel to c axis and the spin of Tb $$^{3+}$$ is perpendicular to c axis. The corresponding A-type antiferromagnetic order appears at $$T_{C} = 94$$ K, and at $$T_{N} = 15$$ K, ferromagnetic state appears. Different orientations of spins result in a big negative and positive rotating magnetic entropy appeared in different temperature. Those findings may provide a wider temperature range for magnetic refrigeration applications.

目的 评估伊沙佐米、来那度胺、地塞米松（IRd）方案治疗复发/难治多发性骨髓瘤（MM）的疗效及安全性。 方法 纳入2018年7月至2020年5月于国内14个中心接受至少1个周期IRd方案治疗的复发/难治MM患者。除7例起始剂量作调整的患者以外，其余患者伊沙佐米起始剂量为4 mg。来那度胺剂量根据患者肌酐清除率进行调整。每周期进行疗效及安全性评估。 结果 共纳入74例患者，中位年龄65岁，11例（14.9％）患者曾接受>三线治疗。总体反应率（ORR）为54.1％（40/74），其中7例（9.5％）达严格意义的完全缓解或完全缓解，14例（18.9％）达非常好的部分缓解，19例（25.7％）达部分缓解，中位无进展生存时间为9.9月，中位总生存时间为20个月，中位获得反应时间为1个月。总体疗效与生存结果与TOURMALINE-MM1中国延展性研究（TOURMALINE-MM1 CCS）相近。硼替佐米难治、来那度胺难治、两药均难治患者的ORR分别为52.0％（13/25）、57.1％（4/7）和33.3％（6/18）。3～4级不良事件（AE）发生率为36.5％（27/74）。主要血液学不良反应为贫血、血小板减少、淋巴细胞减少及中性粒细胞减少。主要非血液学不良反应为乏力、消化道症状及感染。2例患者出现3级周围神经病变。与不符合TOURMALINE-MM1 CCS试验入组标准的患者相比，符合入组标准的患者ORR更高［77.8％（14/18）对46.4％（26/56），P＝0.020］，两组3～4级AE发生率的差异无统计学意义［33.3％（6/18）对37.5％（21/56），P＝0.749］。 结论 IRd方案治疗复发/难治MM具有较好的疗效及安全性。

The existence of internal structural defects in gas insulated combinations (GIS) seriously affects the normal operation of equipment, and it needs an efficient and non-destructive detection method. This study is focused on the feasibility of X-ray digital imaging detection in GIS equipment monitoring. First, the digital imaging detection process is briefly introduced. Then, in order to obtain high-quality digital images, a correlation coefficient is introduced to improve the nonlocal mean filtering denoising algorithm. In terms of image enhancement, a histogram equalization method is introduced, and then an improved contrast-limited adaptive histogram equalization (CLAHE) method is proposed for image denoising. The detection system and image processing method of this study are used to detect two GIS equipment units of the Chongqing Electric Power Company (China). It is found that this method clearly and accurately detects the equipment defects with high reliability. This study provides some theoretical basis for further promotion of the X-ray digital radiography in GIS equipment defect detection.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression characteristics of circular RNA circ_0061140 in bladder cancer (BCa), and to further explore its effects on invasiveness and migration capacity of BCa cells, as well as its possible potential mechanism.Quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed to examine the expression level of circ_0061140 in tumor tissue samples and paracancerous ones collected from 42 patients with BCa, and the interplay between circ_0061140 level and the clinical indicators, as well as the prognosis of BCa patients were analyzed. Meanwhile, qRT-PCR was also used to verify circ_0061140 expression in BCa cell lines. In addition, a circ_0061140 knockdown model was constructed using Lentiviral in BCa cell lines, including T24 and 253j, and the effect of circ_0061140 on BCa cell functions and its underlying mechanisms were explored using Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), transwell, and cell wound healing assays.qPCR results showed that the expression level of circ_0061140 in tumor tissues of BCa patients was remarkably higher than that in adjacent tissues, and the difference was statistically significant. Compared with patients with low expression of circ_0061140, patients with high expression of circ_0061140 had worse prognosis and higher incidence of lymph node or distant metastasis. Compared with those in the negative control group, the proliferation and invasion, as well as the metastasis ability of BCa cells in the sh-circ_0061140 group, were remarkably attenuated. In addition, bioinformatics and Luciferase reporter gene assay demonstrated that circ_0061140 can specifically bind to microRNA-1236. At the same time, the results of qPCR revealed that the expression levels of circ_0061140 and microRNA-1236 were negatively correlated in the tumor tissues of BCa patients. Finally, cell recovery experiment indicated that silencing microRNA-1236 reversed the impact of the knockdown of circ_0061140 on the ability of BCa cells to proliferate and invade, suggesting that the two may regulate each other.Circ_0061140 level was found remarkably elevated in BCa tissues, as well as in cell lines, which was closely relevant to the incidence of lymph node or distant metastasis of BCa patients. In addition, circ_0061140 may enhance the proliferation rate and invasion ability of BCa cells through the modulation of microRNA-1236.

To investigate the atmospheric corrosion characteristics of metal materials of electric equipment in the atmospheric environment with high humidity and high chlorine industrial pollution, atmospheric accelerated corrosion tests of a typical power metal Q235 carbon steel and galvanized steel were carried out by the salt spray method. The corrosion kinetics, corrosion products, and morphology of both materials were investigated by the weight loss method, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The corrosion rate of carbon steel is larger than that of galvanized steel, and both drop with time. NaHSO3 promotes the formation of α-FeOOH in the corrosion process of carbon steel. The high-humidity and high-chlorine environment is not conducive to the formation of Fe3O4. The interaction of NaHSO3 and NaCl promotes the generation of corrosion products, mainly NaZn4SO4(OH)6Cl·6H2O, in galvanized steel by pitting corrosion.

Climate change is expected to affect plant communities worldwide. However, less is known about the consequences of global warming-induced decrease of soil moisture on alpine wetland ecosystem in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. To determine response of natural alpine wetland community to decrease of soil moisture, we did a gradient analysis of soil moisture by sequence space-series variation. We used sequence space-series variation of soil moisture to reflect potential time-series variation of soil moisture in alpine wetland community, by examining the effects of spatial heterogeneity of soil moisture on wetland community, as well as by determining how shifts in above- and below-ground properties of alpine wetland community. We found that vegetation aboveground biomass, cover and height all significantly increased with increase of soil moisture, but species richness was decreased. Soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, available nitrogen, total phosphorus and available phosphorus all significantly increased with increase of soil moisture, but soil pH value, total potassium and available potassium were significantly decreased. Meanwhile, species richness showed significantly positive correlations to aboveground biomass, covers and height. Aboveground biomass, vegetation covers and height were all significant positively related to soil organic carbon, total N, P, and available N, P, but negatively related to total K. But, species richness were significant negatively related to soil organic carbon, total N, P, and available N, P, but positively related to total K. Our observation indicates that decreasing of soil moisture may potentially negatively impact on the above- and below-ground properties in alpine wetland community.

The growth behaviour of anodic oxide film on titanium alloy in a near neutral electrolyte (C4H4O6Na2) under pulse galvanostatic method was investigated by scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The morphology and roughness of the anodic oxide film were strongly dependent on the anodising time. The result of TEM showed that the oxide film was partly crystallised and mainly composed of amorphous TiO2. The probable mechanism of film formation had been discussed, which was comprised of three distinctive stages. The growth behaviour of the anodic oxide film was not only vertical but also horizontal. The process of growth was nucleation, agglomeration and coagulation.

A novel coordination polymer constructed with [Co(3,3′-bpbc)(H2O)3]·H2O(I) (3,3′-bpbc = 2,2′-bipyridine-3,3′-dicarboxylic acid) is successfully synthesized at room temperature and characterized by elemental analysis and IR spectra. The crystal structure of the complex is determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The unit cell parameters for complex I are: a = 9.9606(11) A, b = 9.2552(10) A, c = 16.0258(17) A, β = 96.731(0)°, V = 1467.2(3) A3, Z = 4, space group P2(1)/n. In the crystal, the cobalt(II) ion adopts a hexa-coordinate environment, and the structure units aggregate together to give birth to infinite 1D chains. The 2D and 3D framework is constructed via intermolecular hydrogen bonds.

A novel Zn(II) coordination polymer [Zn2(phen)2]L4·3H2O(1) is synthesized by the reaction of Zn(NO3)2, Phen(1,10-phenanthroline), and L(2-mercaptonicotinic acid) at room temperature and structurally characterized by X-ray single crystal diffraction along with IR spectra and elemental analysis. Title complex 1 belongs to the triclinic system with the space group (P-1), a = 10.9373(11) A, b = 11.6201(12) A, c = 13.1371(14) A; α = 116.100(1)°, β = 97.717(2)°, γ = 108.652(2)°, V = 1344.4(2) A3; Z = 2, ρcalc = 1.596 g·cm−3, F(000) = 664, R1 = 0.0708 and wR2 = 0.1823 independent reflections for 18523 observed ones (I > 2σ(I)), and the zinc atom is rendered five-coordinated in a distorted tetragonal pyramid coordination geometry by two nitrogen atoms from the phen molecule, two oxygen atoms from two L molecules, and an oxygen atom from the H2O molecule. Complex 1 forms a 1D chain by O-H…O hydrogen bonds from free-water, while the 2D layer structure is formed by C-H…O hydrogen bonds through the L ligand of adjacent chains. These compounds further result in a 3D network structure by the intermolecular π…π stacking interaction of the neighbouring layers.

In this study, the influence of incremental rate of anodising current VIR on the crystal structure, surface roughness and corrosion resistance of anodic oxide films on Ti–10V–2Fe–3Al was studied using Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic polarisation. The results showed that the surface roughness, crystal structure and electrochemical corrosion behaviour of anodic oxide films were remarkably affected by different VIR with regard to the change in the rate of anodising voltage. In addition, results of EIS and potentiodynamic polarisation revealed that the film that formed at VIR of 0··50 A min−1 had the highest corrosion resistance. Quantitative AFM characterisation showed good correlation between surface roughness and EIS results. Furthermore, results of Raman spectroscopy showed that the relative intensity of anatase and rutile had a tendency to increase with a decrease in VIR before reaching 0··50 A min−1.

Floral differentiation is induced by low temperatures and enhanced by autumn and winter drought. Antioxidant enzyme activities, hydrogen peroxide concentration, leaf water content, maximum photochemical efficiency of PS 2 (F v /F m ) and SPAD value in Litchi chinensis Sonn. cvs. 'Nuomici' and 'Feizixiao' during the chilled and drought-induced floral differentiation from Nov. to Feb. 2006 were studied, with the aim to show the physiological changes during the stress-induced floral differentiation. The results showed that the SPAD value indicating chlorophyll concentration increased before and then decreased after the emergence of panicle primordia in 'Nuomici', while in 'feizixiao' SPAD values slowly rose during the period. Leaf water content in both cultivars decreased to the lowest level when panicle primordia emerged and increased thereafter. F v /F m decreased with the drop of temperature, and were higher in 'Feizixiao' than in 'Nuomici'. Activities of SOD and POD in the two cultivars increased at first and then decreased before panicle primordia emerged. But after that, the enzyme activities in 'Nuomici' increased and remained at stable levels, while that in 'Feizixiao' increased to a high level but decreased thereafter. APX activity in 'Nuomici' increased during the whole stage while in 'Feizixiao' it increased then decreased but still remained at a higher level. On the whole, APX activities in the floral induction stage were lower than those in the panicle developmental stage. A sudden increase in H 2 O 2 concentration in the two cultivars was found when panicle primordia emerged. H 2 O 2 concentration before panicle emergence in both cultivars was lower than that after panicle emergence.

Previously walnuts were a major crop and industry in China to the extent that China was the leading country for walnut production and exports to the world. In an effort to regain that status in recent years, a lot of work has been done on walnut variety selection and breeding. Germplasm of walnut was collected from around the world and maintained in China. The national repository for walnut germplasm was established in Shandong province, where a wide range of walnut germplasm is preserved. Further study has been conducted on the classification and evaluation of the germplasm held in the repository. A breeding program has been established based on the germplasm of interest. Optimal cultivars, possessing traits of precocity, high production, good quality and resistance to diseases and pests, have been selected as well as rootstocks with tolerance and resistance. The process has involved crossing, selection from seedlings and introductions from around the world. The outputs of these breeding efforts have greatly promoted the Chinese walnut industry.

The paper describes three new cultivars of Juglans, 'Yihe 1', 'Qinglin' and 'Qinquan 1'. The new cultivar 'Yihe 1' (Juglans hopeiensis Hu) is for use in artwork, and originated from Hebei province, north of China. It has a thick, hard shell which is dense and not easily cracked. The shell surface is characterized by a rich texture, including remarkable grooves and ridges, protuberant seam and pointed apex. All these characteristics enabled nuts of 'Yihe 1' to be carved into all kinds of handicrafts. In addition, the tree grows vigorously and is protandrous. The cultivar 'Qinglin' was selected from a natural seedling of walnut for both timber and nut use. The nut is harvested in late September, 15-20 days later than other cultivars. The tree grows quickly and strongly, with upright branches. The trunk is straight, reaching up to as high as 4.0 m and 0.5 m in chest diameter. The surface texture of the timber is smooth and the individual tree timber volume is up to approximately 0.80 m 3 . It produces class `A' timber. The new cultivar 'Qinquan 1' was characterized by high apomixis, and was selected from the seedlings of Mian Walnut of Shanxi, North of China. The average apomixes rate was 48.53%, the highest could reach up to 75.7%. The nut weighed about 11.3 g, the kernel accounted up to 6.4 g, the shell thickness was 1.18 mm, and the kernel proportion reaches 56.6%. The kernel could be taken out whole or halves, and its color is light yellow.

The important role of walnut in the economic development of China is introduced in this paper, as well as the effect on the people, economy and forestry of China. The paper provides a comprehensive description of China's walnut output, cultivars, supply and demand, and existing problems, etc. The paper points out the main problems of walnut production at present, these are: improper orchard establishment, impure varieties and unknown introductions, low production, poor quality low economic profit, extensive management resulting in low individual output, unsuitable site selection, emphasis on planting but neglecting management; market development is imperfect and product marketing channels are not smooth; the storage and processing link is also weak. Focusing on these problems, we put forward advice on developing the Juglans industry of China as follows: improved varieties are the foundation of the walnut industry, regionalization and grafting of improved varieties is the key step, standardization of management, large scale production and industrialization of marketing are other important aspects of the walnut industry. Looking at the status quo and present developmental tendency for Juglans spp. at home and broad, some solutions for the development of a greater national walnut industry are proposed around increasing human talent and knowledge of the production system, improving production techniques and non-polluting production to meet current challenges.

The aim of this study was to observe the effects of total glucosides of peony (TGP) on pathological change, Aquaporin-5 (AQP-5) and its mRNA expression in submandibular glands of non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice with Sjogren's Syndrome, to investigate its regulation on secretion of salivary glands.40 NOD mice were randomly divided into model group, TGP group, hydroxychloroquine group, combination group (n = 10). For TGP group, the mice were intragastrically administrated with 0.4 ml TGP dilution per day in accordance with 300 g/kg dose; for hydroxychloroquine group, the mice were intragastrically administrated with 0.4 ml hydroxychloroquine per day in accordance with 60 mg/kg dose; for the combination group, the mice were intragastrically administrated with 0.4 ml TGP dilution and 0.4 ml hydroxychloroquine. 8 weeks later, the mice were sacrificed, and submandibular glands were collected by anatomy. Pathological changes of submandibular gland were observed under a light microscope; AQP-5 protein in submandibular glands was detected by immunohistochemical staining; and AQP-5 mRNA expression in submandibular glands was detected by RT-PCR.The lymphocytic infiltration score of model mice was significantly higher than that of other groups. The pathological morphology and score of NOD mice were significantly improved after administration, and the combination group was superior to the hydroxychloroquine group and TGP group (p0.05). AQP-5 mRNA expression level of the model group was lower than other groups (p0.05); the expression levels in the TGP group and the combination group were higher than the hydroxychloroquine group (p0.05).TGP may improve pathological damage of submandibular glands of NOD mouse with Sjogren's syndrome by upregulating AQP-5 and its mRNA expression in submandibular glands.

Incoherent inelastic neutron-scattering spectra of DNA and gelatin samples with different hydration levels were measured with the TOSCA spectrometer at ISIS, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. Comparison with the spectra of different ice phases shows that for water contents up to 0.75 g water/g DNA and 0.5 g water/g gelatin the optical region (20–50 meV) is almost featureless, similar to high-density amorphous ice (HDA). The librational band is shifted to lower energy transfers and its edge at 55 meV matches again the spectrum of HDA ice. For water contents of 1 g water/g DNA and 0.75 g water/g gelatin resemblance to spectra of ice Ih and low-density amorphous ice (LDA) is obvious. PACS Nos.: 61.12Ex, 82.39Jn

SUMMARYSchistosome antigen-driven cytokine responses and antischistosome antibody levels of residents of a Schistosoma japonicum endemic island in Poyang Lake, Jiangxi Province were studied before and 45 days after treatment with praziquantel. IL-4, IL-5, IL-10 and INF-γ were all detected in the supernatants of whole-blood cultures after stimulation with schistosome soluble egg antigen (SEA) and soluble worm antigen preparation (SWAP). The percentages of subjects producing detectable amounts of each cytokine assayed were higher in the group who were negative by stool examination at the start of the study than in those who were initially stool positive. After praziquantel treatment the percentages of subjects producing both type I and type II cytokines increased. This suggests that the production of both types of cytokine was down-regulated in the presence of live, egg-laying S. japonicum adult worms but that this was reversible by treatment. In contrast, the antibody studies showed higher levels of SWAP and SEA-specific antibodies (IgE, total IgG, IgG4, IgM) in subjects who were originally stool-positive than in those who were stool-negative. After treatment specific IgE responses were elevated, but total IgG and IgG4 anti-SEA and IgM anti-SWAP antibody levels all fell significantly.

According to the heat-mass transfer specialty existed in an evaporative condenser, adopted the method of equivalent heat transfer and logarithmic average enthalpy difference, the design calculation method adapted computer is found, it is convenient to thermodynamic calculation and design choice of an evaporative condenser, and is useful to optimize the design of an evaporative condenser.

Chemical and physical characteristics of sheet-molded compounds were investigated using infrared and mechanical spectroscopies. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy with photoacoustic detection facilitated surface analysis for determination of composition, depth profile, and thermal exposure effects. Dynamic mechanical spectroscopy utilized torsion, tension, and flexure modes to evaluate temperature and frequency-dependent viscoelastic properties.

To establish a drug screening system based on transcriptional regulation of microsomal PGE(2) synthase 1 (mPGES-1), cyclooxygenase 1 (COX-1) and 2 (COX-2) for discovering selective down-regulators of mPGES-1.The upstream regulatory sequences of mPGES-1, COX-1, COX-2 were respectively cloned into pGL3B-neo vector containing luciferase gene and neomycin resistance gene (the pGL3B-neo vector had been previously constructed by cloning the neomycin resistance gene into the Sal I site of the pGL3-Basic vector). After that, the recombinant reporter gene vectors pGL3B-neo/mPGES-1, pGL3B-neo/COX-1, pGL3B-neo/COX-2 were respectively transfected into A549 cells and therefore stable cell lines, namely M 1, M 2 and M 3, were obtained. Samples were detected then by testing luciferase activity of M 1, M 2 and M 3 cells in microtiter wells to identify compounds that can selectively down-regulate mPGES-1 expression. Through luciferase activity testing, the compounds which had more than 40 % inhibition ratio on M 1 and less than 20 % inhibition ratio on M 2 and M 3 cells could be regarded as hits.Using the cell-based reporter gene assay, we screened compounds for selectively down-regulation of mPGES-1 expression and several compounds were discovered.A cell-based drug screening system was established to screen selective down-regulators of mPGES-1 expression, and compound CM188 was identified, which might become a lead compound for novel anti-arthritic drugs.

To obtain deltamethrin-resistance or susceptibility associated genes of Culex pipiens pallens.The differentially expressed genes were obtained by suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH), and identified by cDNA microarray and reverse Northern blotting.523 and 286 clones were selected respectively in the two directional SSH. 155 and 42 genes were respectively expressed 2-3 and3 times higher in the insecticide-resistant strain than in the susceptible strain; 15 and 9 genes were respectively expressed 2-3 and3 times higher in the susceptible strain than in the resistant strain. There were 2 genes only expressed in the insecticide-resistant strain. 51 three times differentially expressed clones and 2 specially expressed clones were sequenced. 44 sequences were obtained which belong to 13 new genes. There were 8 over-expressed genes in resistant strain, 7 of which were similar respectively to mitochondrion rRNA gene, 60S ribosomal protein gene, 40S ribosomal protein S4 gene, trypsin gene, chymotrypsin A gene, ospin gene, and 16S ribosomal RNA gene. There were 5 over-expressed genes in susceptible strain, 2 of them being similar with 40S ribosomal protein S29 gene and myosin regulatory light chain 2 gene. In addition, 2 genes specially expressed in resistant strain were similar respectively to glycogen branching enzyme gene and ribosomal protein 46 gene.The differentially expressed genes may be associated with deltamethrin-resistance or susceptibility of Culex pipiens pallens.

To obtain the gene encoding specific IgE-related antigen of Schistosoma japonicum from the cDNA library of adult Schistosoma japonicum.The pooled sera from 15 individuals with high levels of specific IgE antibody against SWAP were absorbed with Protein-G and used for screening of IgE-related antigen from the adult worm cDNA library of Schistosoma japonicum. The inserted cDNA was amplified by PCR and sequenced. According to the first reading frame of the sequence, a pair of new probes, in which EcoR I and Not I sites were incorporated respectively, were designed and used to amplify the target gene. Then, the gene was cloned into vector pGEM-T and subcloned into expression vector pGEX-6p-1. The fusion protein was expressed, analysed by SDS-PAGE and identified by Western blotting with the specific IgE antibody, respectively.The inserted cDNA fragment from the positive clone was about 1,200 bp, with the ORF of 507 bp which encoded 169 amino acids. The deduced molecular weight of the recombinant protein was 19.3 kDa. The homology between the target gene (Sj43B) and other known DNA sequences was less than 40%. The fusion protein expressed by the recombinant vector pGEX-6p-1/Sj43B could be recognized by schistosome specific IgE antibody.Sj43B may encode the specific IgE-related antigen of Schistosoma japonicum. The successful construction of recombinant plasmid pGEX-6p-1/Sj43B lay the groundwork for further studies on immunological characteristics and protection immunity of the recombinant protein.

To sequence the cloned gene Sj338 and to identify the encoded protein and its antigen epitopes.The Sj338 gene fragment obtained from adult S. japonicum cDNA library amplified by PCR method was subcloned into pGEM-T vector for sequencing. The sequence of nucleotides and the characteristics of the encoded protein were analyzed by DNASIS Program and Goldkey DNA and Protein Analytical Program, and then the homology of the amino acid sequence was searched on the BLAST net.The cloned rSj338 gene was demonstrated to be 487 bp containing one 459 bp ORF, encoding a protein consisted of 153 amino acids with a molecular weight of 17.6 kDa. The amino acid sequence of the recombinant protein rSj338 shared 46% identity with that of the corresponding part of human mitochondrial import receptor and 44% identity with that of the Rattus sp. mitochondrial precursor receptor. The possible antigen epitopes were predicted within the peptide fragments of 26-32 aa, 37-46 aa and 147-151 aa.The protein encoded by rSj338 gene fragment might be the mitochondria-related protein of Schistosoma japonicum.

To inquire into the relationship between cytochrome P450 and deltamethrin resistance.24 new cDNA sequences encoding cytochrome P450 were amplified respectively from deltamethrin-susceptible and -resistant strains of Culex pipiens pallens with a pair of degenerate primers according to the conservative amino acid sequences of CYP4 in insects by RT-PCR and the Direct Cloning Method, and then were identified by cDNA chip and reverse Northern.112 positive clones were obtained, of which 24 were shown to be new sequences encoded for cytochrome P450. They have been lodged in GenBank and were appraised by the Nomenclature Committee of Cytochrome P450, belonging to the subfamily CYP4C, CYP4D, CYP4H and CYP4J in CYP4 family. The hybrid signal values of 6 P450 sequences (NYDS3, NYDS5, NYDR6, NYDR9, NYDR15 and NYDR17) were 3.1-9.7 times higher in the resistance probe than in the susceptible probe, and NYDR17 only reacted with the resistance probe. The result of reverse Northern in NYDR15 was similar to that of cDNA chip.CYP4 is related to deltamethrin resistance and the specific expression caused by point mutation of cytochrome P450 gene may exist in deltamethrin-resistant Cx. pipiens pallens.

To subclone and characterize a cDNA clone coding for Schistosoma japonicum (S.j.) mitochondria-related protein.The open reading frame of the fragment(Sj338/24) obtained from an adult worm cDNA library of S.j. was analysed, at the upstream and downstream of the open reading frame(ORF) the primers A and B were designed, respectively, and the cDNA fragment was used as PCR template. The Sj338 gene fragment obtained was amplified by PCR method and then subcloned into pGEM-T vector for sequencing. The gene sequence was analyzed and the target fragment was restrictedly digested and subcloned into expression vector pGEX-6P-1. The expressed recombinant protein was purified and characterized.The cloned Sj338 gene was demonstrated to be 487 bp long containing one 459 bp ORF, encoding a protein with a molecular weight of 17 kDa. The nucleotide sequence of the cloned gene Sj338 had higher homology with those genes coding for mitochondrial outer membrane protein of Homo sapiens and Rattus norvegicus. The recombinant construct of pGEX-6P-1/Sj338 could be expressed efficiently and the antigenicity of its product rSj338 has been demonstrated by Western blotting.Sj338 may be the gene coding for S.j. mitochondria-related protein and the recombinant protein may be used as a new vaccine candidate.

To observe the cellular immune responses in a population of an endemic area of schistosomiasis japonica and the influence of praziquantel treatment.Blood was taken from 129 residents (64 cases were egg-positive, 65 cases were egg-negitive) of an endemic area of Poyang Lake before and 45 days after praziquantel treatment. Cytokines induced by the schistosome soluble egg antigen (SEA) and soluble worm antigen preparations (SWAP) in the peripheral blood cells including IL-5, IL-10 and IFN-gamma were measured.Among 129 cases, the cytokine levels were found much higher in egg negative individuals than in egg-positive individuals. The cytokine levels induced by both antigens were increased significantly after praziqantel treatment especially IL-5 and IFN-gamma.The cellular immune responses in the population in schistosomiasis japonica endemic area exhibited a general trend of down-regulation and were elevated significantly after praziquantel treatment.

In order to analyze the interspecies diversity and the extent of diversity among Schistosoma japonicum Chinese mainland strains, the genetic variation on gene level among 6 isolates collected from Jiangxi, Hunan, Hubei, Anhui, Sichuan, Yunnan and a cultured isolate from a laboratory were studied using molecular biological technique. There were only two different bases at position 112 and 143 in 536 bp sequence of 28S rDNA-D2 domain between Anhui and Yunnan isolates, the homology was 99.6%. The result could be explained the reason of why the migration rates of single chain 28S rDNA-D2 domain among the above 7 isolates were the same completely in PCR-SSCP. However, comparing with the sequences of the Philippine isolate of S. japonicum, S. mansoni and S. aematobium, there were 6, 94 and 93 different bases and the homologies were 98.9, 82.5 and 82.7 per cent separately. With 8 restriction endonucleases to analyze the ITS of rDNA obtained by PCR from the 7 isolates, the results showed that only 3 minor bands were different, e.g. 5.3% of total 58 fragments. It was suggested that the ITS of rDNA among 7 isolates were highly conserved. Using randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) to analyze the genetic diversity of the genomes of the 7 isolates, the average genetic distance (D) calculated from total 284 amplified fragments was 0.22. The maximum D was 0.30 and existed between Anhui and Yunnan isolates. The minimum D was 0.13 and existed between Sichuan and Yunnan isolates. The clustering analysis of genetic distances showed that the 7 isolates could be gathered in one group. From above three results, it could be considered that the genetic diversity on gene level among S. japonicum Chinese mainland strains was very low.

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery was applied in a total of 20 patients, since Dec. 1992. There were 16 man and 4 woman whose ages ranged from 20 to 65 years. Three patient had a wedge resection for lung tumors, one a lobectomy for tracheaectasy, eleven with recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax were successfully treated, Pleural tumors (n = 1), pulmonary cyst (n = 1), Three biopsy of lung. The advantages of this for patients include cosmetic considerations, a shorter operation period, low pain, earlier postoperation mobilization.

Diagnosis is an essential prerequisite for the control programs of schistosomiasis. Chinese scientists have been making efforts for decades towards the development of immunological approach in an attempt to offer alternatives of or supplements to parasitological diagnosis. The authors outline briefly the main advances in the research of immunodiagnosis for schistosomiasis japonica in China in two catalogues: antibody detection and antigen detection. A number of immunodiagnostic assays based on antibody detection, which have been used widely in the control programs in China, are appraised in terms of sensitivity and specificity, and the achievements in the development of immunodiagnostic assays based on antigen detection are introduced. Readers will find some information concerning the efforts so far made by Chinese scientists in the improvement of immunodiagnosis by use of molecular approach, including search for biochemically and/or immunochemically isolated and/or purified antigens, recombinant antigens and anti-idiotypic reagents of diagnostic interest to construct defined antigen-antibody systems for diagnosis, and development of monoclonal antibody-based assays for antibody or antigen detections.

In this study the ability of the monoclonal anti-idiotypic antibody NP30 was tested as a substitute of diagnostic antigen in detecting antibody of Schistosoma japonicum from human sera by use of ELISA. The results showed that the seropositive rate was 98% with NP30 in the group of acute infection, which was comparable to 94% with gut associated antigens (GAA) and 98% with the soluble egg antigens (SEA); 87% with NP30 in the group of chronic infection which was comparable to 86% with GAA but lower than that of 98% with SEA. The false positive rate was about 3% for all three diagnostic antigens. The results also showed that the geometric mean titer (GMT) of antibody to NP30 was higher than that to GAA but lower than that to SEA in the acute infection group and the GMT of antibody to NP30 was lower than both those to GAA and to SEA in the chronic infection group, suggesting that the antibody to NP30 appeared earlier and decayed more quickly during the process of infection. The authors suggested that NP30 could be used for the diagnosis of schistosomiasis japonica.

Eight murine monoclonal antibodies against surface determinants of Schistosoma japonicum (Chinese mainland strain) schistosomula were generated, of which only one monoclonal IgM antibody (N15D9) gave protection at level ranging from 14 to 39% in experiments of passive transfer or inhibition of infectivity while the others did not exhibit significant levels of passive protection. Further characterization of N15D9 antigen specificity showed that 96 and 14 kDa antigen molecules in cercaria, and 132 and 10 kDa in schistosomula could be recognized by N15D9 in Western blot assay. Furthermore, the 96 and 132 kDa molecules could also be recognized by pooled infected human sera while 14 kDa and 10 kDa only by sera from mice vaccinated with 3-hour schistosomula. The molecules recognizable by N15D9 were surface epitopes repeatedly expressed on cercaria, in vitro 3-hour mechanically transformed schistosomula and 5 day lung-stage schistosomula, as demonstrated by indirect immunofluorescence surface binding assay.

A hybridoma cell line secreting an IgM monoclonal antibody designated NP30 was obtained from a fusion of SP2/o and spleen cells of a BALB/c mouse chronically infected with schistosoma japonicum for one and a half year and identified by screening with immunized rabbit sera against gut-associated antigen (GAA) and soluble egg antigen (SEA) of S. japonicum, indicating that the NP30 was an anti-anti-antigen or anti-antibody. NP30 was further determined to be an anti-idiotypic antibody (anti-id) which was serologically and functionally identical to GAA, so that it could be portrayed as the internal image of GAA, which might have the potential to be used as an antigenic reagent in immunodiagnostic assays of schistosomiasis japonica.

In this study, naturally occurring anti-idiotypic antibodies in sera from patients with schistosomiasis japonica were demonstrated by using McAb (5B5H)-ELISA. McAb 5B5H against Schistosoma japonicum soluble egg antigen (SEA) was purified by precipitation with 50%, 40% and 33% saturated (NH4)2SO4 and coupled to CNBr-activated Sepharose 4B (Pharmacia). 5B5H column was loaded with sera from two patients with schistosomiasis japonica and then the bound material was eluated with 3M KCNS. The resulting eluate was further characterized with McAb-ELISA and complement fixation test in order to minimize the possible interference of circulating antigen-antibody complex. The results showed that the eluate contained mainly anti-Id antibodies. In the competitive 5B5H-ELISA tests, SEA markedly inhibited the interaction of 5B5H (Id) and anti-Id anti-bodies, suggesting that the relevant idiotype is within or adjacent closely to antigen binding site of anti-SEA molecule. The anti-Id antibodies were detected using 5B5H-ELISA in patients with schistosomiasis japonica from A and B areas, positive rate of 35.1% (13/37) and 60% (18/30) was obtained respectively. No cross or false reactions were found with sera from patients with fasciolopsiasis buski (0/15), clonorchiasis sinensis (0/15) and normal group of students (0/54) with the exception of one out of 20 patients with paragonimiasis westermani.

Since the primary objective of mass chemotherapy in schistosomiasis control is reduction of schistosome-induced morbidity, it would be reasonable to assess the impact of a control program on the morbidity in a given population by investigating hepato-splenomegaly associated with schistosomiasis in a schistosomiasis endemic area. In this paper, the authors described the relationship between the prevalence, intensity and morbidity of Schistosoma japonicum infection in terms of stool egg count and ultrasonographically detectable hepatosplenomegaly in a community-based study. It was found that the epidemiological pattern of the infection in this study community was quite different from our usual understanding, that is, the prevalence remained relatively high (39.4%) when the intensity became lower. This unusual pattern might be resulted from intermittent and sporadic chemotherapy associated with frequent exposure of people to the infection in an area of high transmission. It was surprised to note that despite the praziquantel treatment carried out over the past years, the prevalence of hepatosplenomegaly induced by schistosomiasis in this community was still very high, suggesting that intermittent and sporadic chemotherapy might render little impact on schistosomiasis-induced morbidity. The investigation also showed that ultrasonography was a sensitive tool for assessing morbidity associated with schistosome infection.

This paper introduces the use of the Mantel-Haenszel estimator in 1:R matched case-control studies with fixed and varying numbers of controls matched to each case. The new methods of variance estimator of the Mantel-Haenszel estimator of a common odds ratio were provided. These methods were also summarized into the method of calculating table in order to present a simple, convenient and easily understanding method for the readers.

Activity of DNA methylase and DNA methylation level were measured from normal mouse liver, mouse liver charged with H22a ascitic hepatoma and H22a ascitic hepatoma cell by measuring incorporation of H3-methyl. S-Adenosyl-3H-methyl-methionine (3H-SAM) was used as methyl donor. DNA methylation level of different cells were measured by HP-LC. DNA methylase activity and DNA methylation level of H22a ascitic hepatoma, mouse liver charged with H22a ascitic hepatoma are lower than normal mouse liver. Treatments of antitumor drugs lead to a rising of DNA methylase activity of tumor cell, however, the DNA methylation level of tumor cell has not rised after such treatments.