Epidemiological and Clinical Characteristics of Measles in Jinan, Shandong Province, China, from 1991 to 2022

Objective

This study aimed to analyze the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of measles in Jinan, Shandong, China, over a 32-year stage to facilitate measles prevention in the future.

Methods

Data on measles cases from 1991 to 2022 were obtained from the public health department and medical records of patients at Shandong Public Health Clinical Center. Retrospective analysis was conducted on the distribution of measles cases in different years, months, and age groups, and observation of the differences in clinical manifestations and complications among different age groups.

Results

From January 1991 to December 2022, 7531 measles cases were recorded at Shandong Public Health Clinical Center. During the 32-year period, there were two outbreaks of measles in 2008 and 2016, respectively. During the COVID-19 pandemic period from 2020 to 2022, the number of cases reached the lowest point in the past 30 years. The number and percentage of cases in the 0-1y groups was significantly higher than in other age groups, and 97.75% patients in this group did not receive measles vaccine. Complications such as pneumonia and myocarditis appeared more frequent in patients under 12 years of age, but liver function damage is more common in adult patients.

Conclusion

Although the measles epidemic has been greatly controlled since the use of measles vaccine, intermittent outbreaks still exist, so there is still a long way to go to eliminate measles. The proportion of infants under the age of 1 without measles vaccine and adults over 24 years old accounts for nearly 80% of the total. This group of people should be of concern, and feasible measures should be designated to protect these susceptible populations.

Dynamic profiles of SARS-Cov-2 infection from five Chinese family clusters in the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic

Although several cases of family clusters with SARS-Cov-2 infection have been reported, there are still limited data preventing conclusions from being drawn regarding the characteristics and laboratory findings in the COVID-19 population within family clusters. In the present study, we retrospectively collected five family clusters with COVID-19 and summarized the dynamic profiles of the clinical characteristics, laboratory findings, immune markers, treatment and prognosis of this population. Furthermore, we also compared clinical and laboratory data between the SARS-Cov-2 infection with family cluster (n = 21) and those without family cluster (n = 16). We demonstrated that the duration of SARS-Cov-2 replication might be varied based on the different family clusters due to their different genetic backgrounds. The onset improved lung radiology might start at the end of the SARS-Cov-2 positive period. Furthermore, the obtained results demonstrated that similar basic characteristics and clinical findings seem to exist between the cases with SARS-Cov-2 and without family clusters. The serum level of ferritin might have a different biological function and be a new biomarker for the family cluster. Further studies with larger numbers of patients are required.

The effect of green tea extract on the removal of sulfur-containing oral malodor volatiles in vitro and its potential application in chewing gum

Increasing pH solution from 7.5 to 8.0 was found to significantly improve the effectiveness of green tea extract for methanethiol removal in vitro. Green tea extract was also found to remove hydrogen sulfide and its effectiveness was greatly improved under alkaline conditions. It was found that with green tea extract, maximum H₂S removal was achieved when the pH was between 8.1 and 8.4 at 37 °C for 5 min. Further increases in pH resulted in decrease of the extract effectiveness. Vegetable acetone powders which contain polyphenol oxidases or peroxidases were found to further enhance the effectiveness for the removal of thiols when used in combination with green tea extracts at body temperature under alkaline conditions. Adding 5% baking soda to green tea extract-containing chewing gum was found to buffer saliva pHs to 8.0 during 10 min of chewing. However, severe discoloration was observed and undesirable bitterness was perceived, most likely due to the polymerization of unencapsulated green tea polyphenols. Therefore, encapsulation of green tea extract is recommended for applications at elevated pHs.

[Production of herbicide-resistant rice with transforming heterogene]

Using pAHC20 (containing Bar gene), pWRG1515 (containing GUS gene and hygromycin phosphotransferase gene), and pCAMBIA3300 RG with Bar gene and snowdrop lectin (GNA) gene as donor DNA, the micro-adventitious shoots and the calli induced from mature embryos of Oryza sativa 87203, Eyi105, Shangnong aromatic glutinous rice as recipients were transformed with particle bombardment and Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain LBA4404 containing pAL4404, respectively. After chosen with phosphinothricin and antibiotic, GUS detection and PCR analysis, The results showed that the foreign genes had been transformed microprojectile-mediated to Oryza sativa Eyi105, the regeneration plants were obtained, and, 5 transgenic calli of Oryza sativa Eyi105 were obtained with Agrobacterium-mediated transformation.

GATA-1 and GATA-4 transactivate inhibin/activin beta-B-subunit gene transcription in testicular cells

We have recently demonstrated that a testicular GATA-binding protein, GATA-1, up-regulates the transcription of inhibin alpha-subunit gene through interaction with GATA motifs in the promoter region in MA-10, a mouse Leydig tumor cell line. In this study, we showed that both GATA-1 and GATA-4 also transactivated the transcription from the promoter for the 4.8-kb inhibin/activin beta-B-subunit gene transcripts, beta-B(4.8)-subunit promoter, in two testicular cell lines, MA-10 and MSC-1, which is a mouse Sertoli cell line. The abilities of GATA-1 and GATA-4 interacting with GATA and/or GATA-like sequences to transactivate the beta-B(4.8)-subunit promoter were next examined by mutation analysis. Mutations of GATA or GATA-like sequences caused no apparent effect or only a small decrease in the basal transcriptional activity of this promoter. However, mutation of the GATA motif at -65 markedly decreased 60-70% of the effect of GATA-1 on the transactivation of beta-B(4.8)-subunit promoter in both MA-10 and MSC-1 cells. In addition, mutation of the GATA motif in MSC-1 cells also reduced 40-50% of the effect of GATA-4 to transactivate this promoter. Interestingly, mutation of GATT at -42 caused a 70-90% increase in the transactivation of beta-B(4.8)-subunit promoter by GATA-1 or GATA-4. No significant change in the promoter activity was observed when GATT at -177 or GATC at -201 was mutated. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay confirmed the above observations that these GATA-binding proteins interacted with the GATA motif at -65 and GATT at -42, but not with GATC at -201 or GATT at -177. Serial deletion from the 5'-end of the basal promoter, from -226 to -90, markedly decreased the basal transcription, but increased the effect of GATA-1 on transactivation of the beta-B(4.8)-subunit promoter. In summary, our observations suggest that the two GATA-binding proteins transactivate the beta-B(4.8)-subunit promoter in testicular cells via complicated mechanisms. Both GATA-1 and GATA-4 factors act through the GATA motif at -65 and GATT at -42 to positively and negatively regulate the transcription from this promoter, respectively. Furthermore, GATA-1 may also interact directly or indirectly with DNA sequences at -180 to -90 to regulate the beta-B(4.8)-subunit promoter.

Testicular GATA-1 factor up-regulates the promoter activity of rat inhibin alpha-subunit gene in MA-10 Leydig tumor cells

We have previously demonstrated that the basal transcription of rat inhibin alpha-subunit gene in a mouse testicular Leydig tumor cell line, MA-10, depends upon a 67-bp DNA fragment at the position of -163 to -97. Within this promoter region two GATA motifs were observed. In this study, we investigated the possible role of GATA-binding proteins in the regulation of inhibin alpha-subunit gene transcription in testicular cells. Northern blot and RT-PCR analyses showed that mRNAs encoding GATA-binding proteins, GATA-1 and GATA-4, were detected in mouse and rat testis and in MA-10 and rat Sertoli cells. Testis-specific GATA-1 mRNA, which is transcribed from a promoter 8 kb upstream to the erythroid exon I of mouse GATA-1 gene, was also identified in MA-10 cells. Mutations of GATA sequences in alpha-subunit promoter markedly decreased the transcriptional activity of alpha-subunit gene when measured by their ability of transient expression of a bacterial reporter gene, chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT), in MA-10 cells. Cotransfection of alphaCAT chimeric construct with cDNA expression plasmid coding for mouse GATA-1 or GATA-4 protein revealed that GATA-1 but not GATA-4 can transactivate alpha-subunit promoter in a dose-dependent manner. The transactivation by GATA-1 was inhibited if GATA sequences in alpha-subunit promoter were mutated. Furthermore, electrophoretic mobility shift assay demonstrated that GATA-binding proteins present in nuclear extracts of MA-10 cells and rat testis interacted with the GATA motifs in alpha-subunit promoter, and the GATA-1 in these nuclear extracts formed a supershifted immunocomplex with antibody raised against mouse GATA-1 protein. We therefore concluded that the basal transcription of inhibin alpha-subunit gene in testicular MA-10 cells is up-regulated by testicular GATA-1 but not GATA-4 through its interaction with the GATA motifs in alpha-subunit promoter. In summary, we have provided the first evidence of the functional role of a GATA-binding protein in the regulation of testicular gene expression.

Characterization and regulation of two testicular inhibin/activin beta B-subunit messenger ribonucleic acids that are transcribed from alternate initiation sites

We and others have shown that the inhibin/activin beta B-subunit gene is expressed differently in the gonads. Two species of 4.8- and 3.7-kilobase (kb) beta B-subunit messenger RNA (mRNA) with equal concentrations were identified in the testis, whereas 1 predominant 4.8-kb and a minor 3.7-kb mRNA were observed in the ovary. In this study, we analyzed the structures of these 2 mRNAs in rat testis and showed that both 4.8- and 3.7-kb beta B-subunit mRNAs were terminated at the region proximal to 2.2 kb down-stream from the translation stop codon. However, only 4.8-kb mRNA could be detected when RNA probes prepared from the 5'-region 1 kb up-stream from the translation start site were used for Northern blot analysis. Our observations suggested that the 2 heterogeneously sized beta B-subunit mRNAs are transcribed from different initiation sites. Transcription of the 4.8-kb mRNA was initiated at 3 adjacent nucleotides, GGA, 1.1 kb up-stream from the translation start codon ATG, whereas multiple transcription initiation sites spreading over 150 nucleotides upstream from the ATG codon were previously identified for 3.7-kb mRNA. Neither of the 2 transcripts contained TATA and CAAT boxes in their promoters. The 5'-flanking DNAs required for transcription of the 4.8- and 3.7-kb mRNA were examined by their ability to induce transient expression of the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene in MA-10 Leydig tumor cells. A marked increase in CAT activity was detected when the 5'-flanking DNA for the 4.8- or 3.7-kb transcript was progressively shortened from its 5'-end. Maximal CAT activity was observed when -409 and -139 basepair beta B-subunit DNA up-stream from the 4.8- and 3.7-kb transcription initiation site, respectively, were fused to the CAT gene, suggesting the presence of a negative regulatory element(s) at the up-stream regions of these promoters. Although putative AP-2 sites were identified, treatment of the transfected cells with cAMP and/or phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate did not apparently change CAT activity driven by either the 4.8- or 3.7-kb promoter. Our results concluded that 1) the two inhibin/activin beta B-subunit mRNAs were transcribed from different initiation sites; 2) both promoters may be controlled by up-stream negative regulatory elements; and 3) neither of these promoters is responsive to cAMP and/or phorbol esters under the conditions employed.

The protein subunits of the double-stranded RNA dependent RNA polymerase and methyltransferase of the cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus of silkworm, Bombyx mori

The particles of CPV of silkworm contain double-stranded RNA polymerase and methyltransferase. It was reported in a previous paper that the genome-enzyme complex could be isolated. The genome-enzyme complex shows high enzyme activity of RNA polymerase and methyltransferase in spite of the fact that it consists of only 5 percent of the protein. In order to clarify the protein subunits of the RNA polymerase and methyltransferase, two methods were adopted. The SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoretogram showed that the 125I-labeled genome-enzyme complex of CPV contained three protein components in molecular weight of 33 K, 67 K and 142 K daltons respectively and each protein component of them consisted of more than two protein subunits with different isoelectric points in 2-dimensional electrophoretogram. The antibody to the five protein components (P1, P2, P3, P4, P5) was prepared and used to inhibit the enzyme activities of RNA polymerase and methyltransferase. It showed that the RNA polymerase was inhibited by the antibody to proteins P1, P2 and P4, whereas the methyltransferase was mainly inhibited by the antibody to protein P1.

[3H-Methyl]-methionine as possible methyl donor for formation of 5'-terminus of in vitro synthesized mRNA of cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus of silkworm Bombyx mori

The mRNA of the cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus of silkworm Bombyx mori could be synthesized in vitro through the action of the virion associated RNA-polymerase in the presence of [3H-methyl]-methionine instead of S-adenosyl-L-methionine. The 3H-mRNA is isolated from the reaction mixture through a column of DEAE-Sephadex A-25 and digested with nuclease p1 and snake venom phosphodiesterase. The results of paper electrophoresis show that the methyl group of methionine is incorporated into the 5'-terminus of CPV mRNA. Even in the presence of S-adenosyl-L-methionine the [3H-methyl]-methionine could still function as a methyl donor for the formation of the 5'-caps of the mRNA of CPV.