First Report of Colletotrichum theobromicola Causing Anthracnose on Euonymus japonicus in China

Euonymus japonicus, a broad-leaved evergreen tree, is widely planted in the parks and landscapes in the world (Huang et al. 2016). In 2019, anthracnose lesions were found on leaves of E. japonicus with 4~15% incidence from the Wufulinglong park (116°28' E, 39°94' N) in the Haidian District of Beijing, China. Irregular chlorotic spots appeared on the surface of the leaves, then larger necrotic spots with numerous acervuli gradually formed, and finally the infected leaves dried and dropped, detracting from the aesthetic of the landscape. To identify the pathogen, six representative leaves with typical symptoms in Wufulinglong park from three plants were collected and diseased tissue was cut into 2 mm × 2 mm pieces, disinfested in 75% ethanol for 20 s, rinsed twice in sterile water, plated onto potato dextrose agar (PDA), which were then incubated at 25℃ under 12 h photoperiod. A total of 24 morphologically identical isolates were obtained from the samples. Two of these isolates were randomly selected for further analysis to confirm their identity. The cultures (HDwfll1907HY and HDwfll1908HY) were deposited in the culture collection of the Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, China. Furthermore, genomic DNA was extracted and the sequences of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions, calmodulin (CAL), beta tubulin (TUB2), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), actin (ACT) and chitin synthase (CHS) were amplified using the primers ITS1/ITS4 (Gardes et al. 1993, White et al. 1990), CL1C/CL2C (Weir et al. 2012), T1/Bt2b (Glass et al. 1995, O'Donnell et al. 1997), GDF1/GDR1 (Guerber et al. 2003), ACT-512F/783R and CHS-79F/345R (Carbone et al. 1999), respectively. Newly obtained sequences were deposited into GenBank with accession numbers MZ229612~13 and MZ305422~31. Phylogenetic tree based on the assessed gene loci revealed that both strains clustered closely with C. theobromicola. The strain HDwfll1907HY was randomly selected for morphological description and pathogenicity assay. The colony was initially light gray with dense aerial mycelia on PDA, which later turn to gray with grayish green on the reverse side of plates. Conidiogenous cells were cylindrical, arising from swollen hyphae. Conidia were single-celled, hyaline, subcylindrical to clavate, often with broadly rounded ends, 13.78-21.99×3.47-5.44 µm (n=50). Both phylogenetic analysis and morphology support the identification of two strains as C. theobromicola. Pathogenicity tests were performed on three healthy one-year-old E. japonicus plants using the randomly selected isolate HDwfll1907HY. The leaves were sprayed with 20 mL of conidial suspension (107 conidia/mL), sterilized water inoculation under the same condition was used as control. All the treated plants were incubated in the incubator at 25°C and 90% relative humidity under 12 h photoperiod. After 18 d, all the leaves treated with the conidial suspension showed typical symptoms of anthracnose, similar to those in the field, whereas the control leaves remained symptomless. The disease assay was replicated three times for consistency. The same fungus was reisolated from the infected leaves and identified as C. theobromicola. This is the first report of C. theobromicola causing anthracnose on E. japonicus, which provides the foundation for the management of anthracnose on E. japonicus.

Research progress of anti-glioma chemotherapeutic drugs (Review)

Glioma is the most common primary intracranial malignancy in the central nervous system. At present, the most important treatment option is surgical resection of the tumor combined with radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The principle of operation is to remove the tumor to the maximal extent on the basis of preserving brain function. However, prominent invasive and infiltrative proliferation of glioma tumor cells into the surrounding normal tissues frequently reduces the efficacy of treatment. This in turn worsens the prognosis, because the tumor cannot be completely removed, which can readily relapse. Chemotherapeutic agents when applied individually have demonstrated limited efficacy for the treatment of glioma. However, multiple different chemotherapeutic agents can be used in combination with other treatment modalities to improve the efficacy while circumventing systemic toxicity and drug resistance. Therefore, it is pivotal to unravel the inhibitory mechanism mediated by the different chemotherapeutic drugs on glioma cells in preclinical studies. The aim of the present review is to provide a summary for understanding the effects of different chemotherapeutic drugs in glioma, in addition to providing a reference for the preclinical research into novel chemotherapeutic agents for future clinical application.

Advances in metformin‑based metabolic therapy for non‑small cell lung cancer (Review)

Therapeutic approaches that target the metabolism of tumor cells have been a popular research topic in recent years. Previous studies have demonstrated that glycolysis inhibitors reduce the proliferation of non‑small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells by interfering with the aerobic glycolytic pathway. However, the mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) pathway in tumor cells has also been implicated in lung cancer metabolism. Metformin, a known inhibitor of mitochondrial OXPHOS, has been indicated to reduce NSCLC morbidity and mortality in clinical studies. The present article reviewed the therapeutic effects of metformin against NSCLC, both as a single agent and combined with other anticancer treatments, in order to provide a theoretical basis for its clinical use in adjuvant therapy for NSCLC.

[The molecular mechanism of oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathic pain]

Objective: To investigate the molecular mechanism of oxaliplatin-induced chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathic pain (CIPNP). Methods: A total of 16 male Sprague-Dawley rats of specific pathogen-free grade were randomly divided into two groups: oxaliplatin experimental group (2.4 mg/kg oxaliplatin dissolved in 5.0% glucose solution, n=8) and control group (equal volume 5% glucose solution, n=8). The rat model of CIPNP was established by continuous administration with oxaliplatin. In addition, mechanical allodynia, thermal hyperalgesia and cold hyperalgesia were measured and compared between the two groups. To explore the molecular mechanism of oxaliplatin-induced CIPNP, the gene expression of dorsal root ganglia (DRG) from the rat model of CIPNP was analyzed using RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq). Results: Mechanical and thermal hypersensitivity was exhibited on day 7 and a stronger hypersensitivity was observed on day 14. A total of 20 152 genes were quantified by RNA-Seq, and 379 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained with absolute fold change cut-offs ≥ 2 and P value<0.05. There were 7 genes (Npy, Car3, Cdkn1a, Nts, Prc1, Ms4a7 and Ecel1) that were involved in peripheral nerve injury-related neuropathic pain. Gene ontology (GO) functional enrichment analyses indicated that the DEGs induced by oxaliplatin were involved in oxygen transport, cell division, intermediate, centromere, oxygen transporter activity, oxygen binding. Moreover, the result of Kyoto Encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) analyses highlighted that the DEGs induced by oxaliplatin were involved in malaria, African trypanosomiasis, primary immunodeficiency, peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (PPAR) signaling pathway. Conclusion: Oxaliplatin induces CIPNP via pain-related genes and signaling pathways.

[Analysis of influencing factors of ureteral anastomotic stenosis following urinary diversion after laparoscopic radical cystectomy]

Objective: To investigate the influencing factors of ureteroenteric strictures (UES) in patients undergoing laparoscopic radical cystectomy plus urinary diversion (UD). Method: A total of 412 patients who underwent UD after radical prostatectomy from January 2008 to December 2016 were retrospectively included in this study. Age, gender, body mass index (BMI), diversion type, time to diagnosis of UES, duration of ureteral stent, postoperative complications, including urinary tract infections, ureteroenteric leakage and UES were collected. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to describe time to developing UES. Prognostic factors of UES were analyzed using COX proportional hazard regression model. Result: Median follow-up time was 37 (IQR 17-120) months. A total of 59 patients (70 sides) developed UES, including 34 cases on the left side, 14 cases on the right side and 11 cases on both sides, following UD after radical cystectomy. The median time to diagnosis of UES was 7 (IQR 4-11) months. The total incidence of UES was 14.3%. The incidence of UES was 10.9%, 13.3% and 14.1% at 1, 3 and 5 years after UD, respectively. Cox proportional hazard regression model analysis demonstrated that BMI≥25kg·m(-2) (P=0.008), ureteroenteric leakage (P=0.001) and urinary tract infections (P=0.037) were the independent risk factors associated with UES following UD after radical cystectomy. Conclusion: The incidence rate of UES following UD after radical cystectomy was relatively high, which occurs more common on the left side. Obese patients, combined with ureteroenteric leakage, urinary tract infection after UD, are more likely to develop into UES.

[Clonal evolution and clinical significance of trisomy 8 in acquired bone marrow failure]

Objective: To analyze clonal evolution and clinical significance of trisomy 8 in patients with acquired bone marrow failure. Methods: The clinical data of 63 patients with acquired bone marrow failure accompanied with isolated trisomy 8 (+8) from June 2011 to September 2018 were analyzed retrospectively, the clonal evolution patterns and relationship with immmunosuppressive therapy were summarized. Results: Totally 24 male and 39 female patients were enrolled, including 39 patients with aplastic anemia (AA) and 24 patients with relatively low-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) . Mean size of+8 clone in MDS patients[65% (15%-100%) ]was higher than that of AA patients[25% (4.8%-100%) , z=3.48, P=0.001]. The patients were was divided into three groups (<30%, 30%-<50%,and ≥50%) according to the proportion of+8 clone. There was significant difference among the three groups between AA[<30%:55.6% (20/36) ; 30-50%: 22.2% (8/36) ; ≥50%22.2% (8/36) ]and MDS patients[<30%:19.0% (4/21) ; 30%-<50%:19.0% (4/21) ; ≥50%61.9% (13/21) ] (P=0.007) . The proportion of AA patients with+8 clone <30% was significantly higher than that of MDS patients (P=0.002) ; and the proportion of AA patients with+8 clone ≥50%was significantly lower than that of MDS patients (P=0.002) . The median age of AA and MDS patients was respectively 28 (7-61) years old and 48.5 (16-72) years old. Moreover, there was no correlation between age and+8 clone size in AA or MDS (r(s)=0.109, P=0.125; r(s)=-0.022, P=0.924, respectively) . There was statistical difference in total iron binding capacity, transferrin and erythropoietin between high and low clone group of AA patients (P=0.016, P=0.046, P=0.012, respectively) , but no significant difference in MDS patients. The immunosuppressive therapy (IST) efficacy of AA and MDS patients was respectively 66.7% and 43.8% (P=0.125) . Comparing with initial clone size (27.3%) , the +8 clone size (45%) of AA patients was increased 1-2 year after IST, but no statistical difference (z=0.83, P=0.272) . Consistently, there was no significant change between initial clone size (72.5%) and 1-2 year clone size (70.5%) after IST in MDS patients. There was no significant difference in IST efficient rate between +8 clone size expansion and decline group of in AA patients at 0.5-<1, 1-2 and>2 years after IST. We found four dynamic evolution patterns of +8 clone, which were clone persistence (45%) , clone disappearance (30%) , clone emergence (10%) and clone recurrence (15%) . Conclusions: AA patients had a low clone burden, while MDS patients had a high burden of +8 clone. The +8 clone of AA patients didn't significantly expanded after IST, and the changes of +8 clone also had no effect on IST response.

[Impact of diverse shapes of prostatic apex on positive apical margin rate and biochemical recurrence following laparoscopic radical prostatectomy]

Objective: To explore the effects of various forms of prostatic apex on positive apical margin rate (PAM) and biochemical recurrence (BCR) after laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 309 patients (aging (65±6) years) who were experienced laparoscopic radical prostatectomy from January 2010 to December 2016 at the Department of Urology, First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University. According to the relationship between prostate apex and membrane urethra at the mid-sagittal plane of preoperative MRI, all patients were classified into 4 categories. There were 31 patients for type 1, apex covering both anterior and posterior aspects of membranous urethra, 139 patients for type 2, apex covering anterior side of membranous urethra, 63 patients for type 3, apex covering posterior aspect of membranous urethra, 76 patients for type 4, apex not covering membranous urethra. PAM and BCR after operation were compared between this four groups respectively. The χ(2) test was used to compare PAM among the 4 types. Logistic regression analysis were undertaken to analyze the factors affecting PAM. Cox's proportional hazards regression model was undertaken to identify the variables influencing BCR. Results: There was no significant difference in the 4 groups concerning age, body mass index, prostate volume, preoperative prostate-specific antigen (PSA) value, postoperative Gleason score and pathological stage (P>0.05).The median follow-up time was 32 months (ranged from 12 to 60 months).The data showed that the apical type 3 patients has the highest PAM. There was statistical difference among the 4 groups in PAM (χ(2)=15.592, P=0.001). Preoperative level of PSA (OR=20.356, 95% CI: 2.440 to 169.810, P=0.005), postoperative Gleason score (OR=4.113, 95% CI: 1.911 to 8.849, P=0.001), pathological stage (OR=3.422, 95% CI: 1.600 to 7.319, P=0.002) and apical type 3 (OR=6.134, 95% CI: 2.196 to 17.132, P=0.001) were independent relactive factors of PAM. Preoperative level of PSA (HR=1.362, 95% CI: 1.006 to 1.843, P=0.045), postoperative Gleason score (HR=1.920, 95% CI: 1.384 to 2.665, P=0.001), pathological stage (HR=1.476, 95% CI: 1.098 to 1.983, P=0.010), PAM (HR=3.497, 95% CI: 2.407 to 5.081, P=0.001)and apical type 3 (HR=1.828, 95% CI: 1.266 to 2.639, P=0.001) were independent prognosis factors of BCR. Conclusion: Prostate apical type 3 could be a significant independent predictor of PAM, and an independent prognosis factor for BCR.

[Analysis of 9 cases of nodular type of pulmonary cryptococcosis with coexisting lung cancer confirmed by pathological examinations]

Objective: To describe the characteristics of the nodular type of pulmonary cryptococcosis (PC) with coexisting lung cancer. Methods: A total of 9 cases of PC with coexisting lung cancer, admitted to Fuzhou Pulmonary Hospital of Fujian from 1st January 2009 to 31th December 2016, and confirmed by pathological examinations, were studied and the related literature were reviewed. Results: The patients consisted of 1 male and 8 females, with a mean age of (53±10) years (range, 38 to 68 years). Four patients (44.4%) had underlying diseases, 3 with diabetes mellitus and 1 with gastric cancer surgery. The main clinical manifestations of most cases were cough and phlegm. The lesions of PC on chest CT were mostly solitary or multiple nodules with a diameter < 1 cm, and the lesions of carcinoma were shown as solitary nodules with a variety of signs suggestive of malignancy. All the patients were confirmed to have concomitant PC and lung adenocarcinoma by pathological examinations. Lung cancer stage was early (Tis and Ⅰ-Ⅱ) in 88.9 % (8 cases) of the cases. All the patients received surgery and postoperative medical therapy. The prognosis was relatively good in most of them except 1 case with death due to lung cancer metastasis and 1 case with lung cancer recurrence. Conclusions: Coexistence of PC and lung cancer is rare and the clinical symptoms are not specific. When PC coexists with carcinoma and manifests as pulmonary nodule, it mimics malignant lesions and is extremely easy to be misdiagnosed. Therefore PC must be considered in the differential diagnosis of pulmonary nodules.

[Effect of traditional Chinese medicine on osseointegration and bone absorption of implants]

Implantation of the base bone in the implant after effective and rapid bone binding and prevention and treatment of bone resorption, to ensure the success of planting surgery is of great significance. This article reviews the mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine promoting bone integration and the etiopathological mechanism of bone resorption, and expounds the influence of traditional Chinese medicine on osseointegration and bone resorption.

[Comparison of age-based clinical and abnormal immune parameters in patients with Henoch-Schönlein purpura]

Objective: To explore age-based clinical and immune parameters in Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) to determine clinically useful markers reflecting disease characteristic. Methods: A cohort of 502 patients with HSP were enrolled into this retrospective study to evaluate their clinical and immune data. Results: Majority HSP cases occurred at age ≤14 years and showed significant immune imbalances of ESR, CD3(+) cells, CD4(+) cells, CD3(-)CD16(+)CD56(+) cells, CD4(+)/CD8(+) cells, IgG, IgA, IgM, IgE, complements C3/C4 and ASO in the acute phase. Compared to patients aged >14 years, symptoms of joint were more frequent at disease onset in patients aged ≤14 years (20.8% vs 7.6%, χ(2)=13.547, P<0.001) , and involvement of digestive tract and joint were also more frequent (57.4% vs 33.8%, χ(2)=24.106, P<0.001; 55.9% vs 32.5%, χ(2)=23.768, P<0.001, respectively) , but not for involvement of kidney (21.4% vs 51.3%, χ(2)=42.440, P<0.001) . The patients aged ≤14 years had distinct immune state, reductions of CD3(+) cells, CD4(+) cells and IgG were more frequent than patients aged >14 years, also increase of ASO (33.1% vs 20.0%, χ(2)=6.656, P=0.010) , but not increase of IgA (2.6% vs 39.4%, χ(2)=15.582, P<0.001) . In addition, reduction of IgG and increase of IgE were positively associated with digestive tract involvement (P<0.001, P=0.001, respectively) , reduction of CD3(+)CD4(+) cells and normal IgM were positively associated with joint involvement (P=0.004, P=0.003, respectively) , increase of CD3(+)CD8(+) cells and normal CD3(+) cells were positively associated with kidney involvement (P=0.032, P=0.014, respectively) . Conclusion: HSP showed significant immune imbalance in the acute phase, patients between aged ≤14 and >14 years had distinct clinical and immune characteristic, and abnormal immune parameters were significantly associated with organ involvements.

[Effects of urethral fibrosis on urinary control after laparoscopic radical prostatectomy]

Objective: To determine the influence of urethral fibrosis on the recovery of urinary continence after laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. Method: A retrospective study of 203 patients from January 2010 to January 2014 who were underwent laparoscopic radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer in the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to preoperative T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging of fibrosis status of the urethral wall and periurethral tissue. One hundred and forty-four(≤2 grade) and 59 (≥3 grade) were classified into the no/mild and severe urethral fibrosis groups respectively. Urinary continence at 1, 3, 6, 12 months after operation were compared between this two groups respectively. Result: There was no significant difference in the two groups with respect to age, body mass index (BMI), Charlson comorbidity index (CCI), international prostate symptom score (IPSS), prostate volume, preoperative prostate-specific antigen value, nerve-sparing procedure, postoperative Gleason score and pathological stage. The operation was completed successfully in all cases. With a median follow-up time of 15 months (ranged from 12 to 24 months), there was no statistical difference between the two groups in urinary continence at 1 month after operation (P>0.05). The incidences of continence in patients with no/mild fibrosis were significantly higher at 3, 6, 12 months after operation than those with severe fibrosis. (In the no/mild fibrosis group and severe fibrosis group, the continue rate at 3 mouths was 50.0% vs 28.8% P=0.005; at 6 mouths was 91.0% vs 59.3% P<0.001; at 12 mouths was 98.6% vs 88.1% P=0.003). Conclusion: Preoperative urethral fibrosis could be a significant predictor of recovery of the long-term urinary continence status after laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. Compared with no/mild fibrosis, severe fibrosis had worse long-term continence status.

[Clinical application and evaluation of an early non-sedation protocol for critically ill respiratory patients]

Objective: To study the value of an early (mechanical ventilation after 24 h) non-sedation protocol for intubated, mechanically ventilated patients in the respiratory intensive care unit (RICU). Methods: Seventy intubated, mechanically ventilated patients were prospectively enrolled and randomly assigned to management with early non-sedation (intervention group; n=35) or with daily interruption of sedation (DIS) (control group; n=35). The duration of mechanical ventilation, length of the RICU and hospital stay, RICU and hospital mortality, drug consumption, RICU and hospitalization expenses, incidence of complications and adverse events and serum levels of vital organ damage and inflammatory markers after mechanical ventilation for 48 h were recorded and compared. Results: Patients in the intervention group had a shorter duration of mechanical ventilation than those in the control group [(7±5) vs (11±9) d, P<0.05] and were discharged from the RICU [(9±7) vs (18±9) d, P<0.05] and hospital earlier [(17±14) vs (29±22) d, P<0.05] than those in the control group. The doses of midazolam were significantly lower in the intervention group than in the control group [(99±104) vs (482±337) mg, P<0.05]. The RICU and hospitalization expenses were both significantly lower in the intervention group than in the control group [53(84) vs 88(173), 72(195) vs 154(234) thousand CHY, P<0.05]. In the intervention group, the occurrence rates of ventilator associated pneumonia (23% vs 46%), tracheotomy (14% vs 37%) and gastrointestinal adverse reactions (17% vs 40%) were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). No differences were recorded in RICU and hospital mortality (P>0.05). The occurrence rates of unplanned extubation and reintubation and the need for CT brain scans were similar in the 2 groups (P>0.05). The levels of cardiac, liver and renal damage markers, lactic acid and C-reactive protein were the same in both groups (P>0.05). Conclusions: The early non-sedation protocol decreased the duration of mechanical ventilation and the length of stay in the RICU and hospital, and it did not increase the incidence of complications and adverse events.

[Retrospective analysis of 117 cases of pulmonary cryptococcosis]

The clinical symptoms of PC were diverse and nonspecific. Halo sign and proximal air bronchogram are helpful for the diagnosis of PC. The outcome of most patients was satisfactory after appropriate treatment.

[The clinical feature and outcomes of severe aplastic anemia patients suffered from bacteremia following antithymocyte globulin]

Objective: To assess the clinical feature and outcomes of severe aplastic anemia (SAA) patients suffered from bacteremia following antithymocyte globulin (ATG). Methods: A total of 264 cases hospitalized in our hospital between Jan 2000 and July 2011 were enrolled into this study. We evaluated the associated pathogens of bacteremia, analyzed the risk factors by Logistic regression and estimated the overall survival (OS) by Kaplan-Meier method for the cohort of patients. Results: Bloodstream infections occurred in 49 patients, with a median age of 20 (4-62) years, including 38 cases with very SAA (VSAA) and 11 SAA patients. The median time of bacteremia was 13 (2-233) days following ATG administration. The most common microbiologically were Enterobacteriaceae (28.4% ), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (20.9% ) and Klebsiella pneumonia (14.9% ). Almost half (46.9% ) of these bacteria were resistant to most or all available antibacterial classes. Univariate and multivariate analyses demonstrated that VSAA, infections during previous week before ATG treatment were risk factors for bacteremia. The 3 and 6 months response rates (10.6% and 17.0% ) were poor in the patients with bloodstream infections, which were significantly lower than those patients without infections (35.6% and 55.6%, respectively, both P<0.001). The estimated 5-year OS were 36.4% (95%CI 21.3% to 51.5%) and 74.5% (95%CI 68.4% to 80.7%) in the two groups, respectively (P<0.001). Conclusions: ①VSAA has higher risk of bacteremia than SAA; ②Infections during previous week before ATG administration was a risk factor for bacteremia; ③ The outcomes of SAA or VSAA patients suffered from bacteremia following ATG was poor.

Histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate solution decreases mortality and morbidity in high-risk patients with severe pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with complex congenital heart disease: an 11-year experience from a single institution

Cardioplegic reperfusion during a long term ischemic period interrupts cardiac surgery and also increases cellular edema due to repeated solution administration. We reviewed the clinical experiences on myocardial protection of a single perfusion with histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate (HTK) for high-risk patients with severe pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with complex congenital heart disease. This retrospective study included 101 high-risk patients undergoing arterial switch operation between March 2001 and July 2012. We divided the cohort into two groups: HTK group, myocardial protection was carried out with one single perfusion with HTK solution; and St group, myocardial protection with conventional St. Thomas' crystalloid cardioplegic solution. The duration of cardiopulmonary bypass did not differ between the two groups. The mortality, morbidity, ICU stay, post-operative hospitalization time, and number of transfusions in HTK group were lower than those in St group (P<0.05). Univariate and multivariate analysis showed that HTK is a statistically significant independent predictor of decreased early mortality and morbidity (P<0.05). In conclusion, HTK solution seems to be an effective and safe alternative to St. Thomas' solution for cardioplegic reperfusion in high-risk patients with complex congenital heart disease.

[Tympanum meningioma: one case report]

Clinical presatation: right ear tinnitus, hearing loss, headache for 1 year with intermittent vertigo for 9 months. Specialized examination: right ear tympanum hyperemia and edema, right ear severe conduction deafness, left ear mild hearing loss. The average threshold: right ear 65 dB, the left ear 35 dB. Imaging examination: CT showed the soft tissue density mass in the right ear tympanum, part of the ear bone obscurity, superior wall of the tympanic cavity attenuation, tympanic sinus entry is not expanding. Imaging diagnosis: chronic otitis media with cholesteatoma formation. Postoperative diagnosis: meningioma.

Leaf transcriptome analysis and development of SSR markers in water chestnut (Eleocharis dulcis)

Water chestnut (Eleocharis dulcis) is an important aquatic crop in China; however, transcriptomic and genomic data in public databases are limited. To identify genes and development molecular markers, high-throughput transcriptome sequencing was applied to generate transcript sequences from water chestnut leaf. More than 24 million reads were obtained, trimmed, and assembled into 40,796 contigs with an average length of 616.6 bp. Sequence similarity analyses against 4 public databases (NR, GO, KEGG, KOG) revealed 17,628 contigs that could be annotated with gene descriptions, conserved protein domains, or gene ontology terms. Among the important metabolic pathways, 27 genes were related to starch synthesis and 13 genes were in the steroid synthetic pathway. In addition, 2570 cDNA simple sequence repeats were identified as potential molecular markers in our contigs. One hundred pairs of polymerase chain reaction primers were designed and used for validation of the amplification. The results revealed that 87 primer pairs were successfully amplified in initial screening tests. Overall, this transcriptome dataset and these markers can serve as a platform for further gene expression studies, functional genomic studies, and marker-assisted selection in E. dulcis.

Effect of chlorfenapyr on cypermethrin-resistant Culex pipiens pallens Coq mosquitoes

Chlorfenapyr is a promising pyrrole insecticide with a unique mechanism of action that does not confer cross-resistance to neurotoxic insecticides. The effect of chlorfenapyr on pyrethorid-resistant Culex pipiens pallens Coq (Diptera: Culicidae) has not been fully investigated under laboratory conditions. In this study, cypermethrin-resistant C. p. pallens exhibited 376.79-fold and 395.40-fold increase in resistance to cypermethrin compared with susceptible strains after exposure for 24 and 48h, respectively. Larvae and adults were tested for susceptibility using dipping, topical, and impregnated paper methods as recommended by the WHO. No cross-resistance to chlorfenapyr was found. Increased mortality was apparent between 48 and 72h, indicating a slow rate of toxic activity. Synergism experiments with piperonyl butoxide (PBO) showed an antagonistic effect on chlorfenapyr toxicity. Mixtures of chlorfenapyr and cypermethrin could therefore provide additional benefits over either insecticide used alone. Mixtures of 5ng/ml chlorfenapyr and 500ng/ml cypermethrin exhibited a slight synergistic effect on cypermethrin-resistant mosquitoes (3.33, 6.84 and 2.34% after 24, 48 and 72h exposure, respectively. This activity was lost when the chlorfenapyr concentration was increased to 10 or 20ng/ml. Chlorfenapyr showed quite good results for pyrethroid-resistant C. p. pallens, and could improve public health by reducing the occurrence of mosquito bites and subsequently protecting against transmission of lymphatic filariasis and Japanese encephalitis.

Effects of epigallocatechin gallate on lipid metabolism and its underlying molecular mechanism in broiler chickens

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) on fat metabolism and to establish the molecular mechanism of these effects in broilers. Seventy-two 28-day-old male Ross 308 broiler chickens were divided into three groups with different levels of EGCG supplementation for 4 weeks: normal control (NC) group, L-EGCG (a low-level supplement of EGCG, 40 mg/kg body weight daily) and H-EGCG (a high-level supplement of EGCG, 80 mg/kg body weight daily). After 4 weeks of oral administration, EGCG significantly reduced the level of abdominal fat deposition in broilers. The serum triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol of chickens in H-EGCG group were also significantly decreased compared with the NC group, and the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was notably increased at the same time. Moreover, the vital role of the liver and abdominal adipose tissue in lipid metabolism of poultry animals was examined through gene expression and enzyme activities related to fat anabolism and catabolism in these organs. Our data show that EGCG supplementation for 2 weeks significantly downregulated the expression of fatty acid synthesis and fat deposition-related genes, and upregulated the expression of genes involved in fatty acid β-oxidation and lipolysis genes. Simultaneously, the activities of hepatic fatty acid synthesis enzymes (fatty acid synthase and acetyl CoA carboxylase) were significantly decreased, and the activity of carnitine palmitoyl transferase-1 was notably elevated. The results suggest that EGCG could alleviate fat deposition in broilers through inhibiting fat anabolism and stimulating lipid catabolism in broilers.

[Clinical research on children mental retardation treated with acupuncture]

OBJECTIVE

To observe the impacts of acupuncture on intelligent structure, social adaptability and fMRI brain function in children mental retardation (MR).

METHODS

Sixty cases of MR in compliance with the diagnostic standard were randomized into an acupuncture group and a medication group, 30 cases in each one. In the acupuncture group, Sishenzhen [four points, 1.5 cun anterior, posterior and bilateral to Baihui (GV 20)], Zhisanzhen [Shenting (GV 24), bilateral Benshen (GB 13)], Niesanzhen (the point 2 cun directly above the ear a-pex, the two points 1 cun bilateral the first point) and Naosanzhan [Naohu (GV 17) and bilateral Naohu (GB 19)] were selected as the main points. In the medication group, piracetam tablets were prescribed for oral administration. One course of treatment was 4 months in the two groups. The comprehensive efficacy was compared between the two groups at the end of treatment course. China-Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (C-WISC) was used to assess the intelligent improvements. Infant-Junior School Student Social Life Ability Scale was adopted to assess the improvements of social adaptability. Five cases were selected from the acupuncture group and fMRI was adopted to compare the brain function imaging changes before and after acupuncture treatment.

METHODS

In the acupuncture group, the final intelligence quotient (FIQ) and social adaptability score after treatment were higher than those before treatment (P<0.05), of which, the performance intelligence quotient (PIQ) was improved significantly, indicating the statistically significant difference (P<0.05). But the verbal intelligence quotient (VIQ) did not change apparently (P>0.05). In the medication group, the changes in all the indices were not apparent before and after treatment (P>0.05). In comparison of the changes after treatment between the two groups, FIQ, PIQ and social adaptability score in the acupuncture group were improved more significantly as compared with the medication group (P<0.05). The fMRI brain function images did not change apparently before and after treatment in those 5 cases of the acupuncture group.

CONCLUSION

Acupuncture promotes the intelligent recovery of MR children and improves their social adaptability. It indicates the satisfactory clinical efficacy. But, the fMRI brain function images do not change apparently before and after treatment.

Analysis of DNA methylation related to rice adult plant resistance to bacterial blight based on methylation-sensitive AFLP (MSAP) analysis

DNA methylation is known to play an important role in the regulation of gene expression in eukaryotes. The rice cultivar Wase Aikoku 3 becomes resistant to the blight pathogen Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae at the adult stage. Using methylation-sensitive amplified polymorphism (MSAP) analysis, we compared the patterns of cytosine methylation in seedlings and adult plants of the rice cultivar Wase Aikoku 3 that had been inoculated with the pathogen Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae, subjected to mock inoculation or left untreated. In all, 2000 DNA fragments, each representing a recognition site cleaved by either or both of two isoschizomers, were amplified using 60 pairs of selective primers. A total of 380 sites were found to be methylated. Of these, 45 showed differential cytosine methylation among the seedlings and adult plants subjected to different treatments, and overall levels of methylation were higher in adult plants than in seedlings. All polymorphic fragments were sequenced, and six showed homology to genes that code for products of known function. Northern analysis of three fragments indicated that their expression varied with methylation pattern, with hypermethylation being correlated with repression of transcription, as expected. The results suggest that significant differences in cytosine methylation exist between seedlings and adult plants, and that hypermethylation or hypomethylation of specific genes may be involved in the development of adult plant resistance (APR) in rice plants.

First Report of Leaf Spot Caused by Curvularia affinis on Festuca arundinacea in Hubei, China

Curvularia leaf spot affects many species of grasses worldwide but has not been previously reported from central China. In October 2003, symptoms were observed on Festuca arundinacea in a city park in Yichang, Hubei. Fungicides were not used at this site. Leaf spots formed on the foliage after a few days of rainfall. In the most heavily infected areas, the incidence of disease was one leaf in five with spots. Overall, there was an average of 1 leaf in 50 with spots. Infected leaves most commonly bore a single spot, but some leaves had as many as 10 small spots. The spots were round, 5 to 10 mm across, and gray brown in the center with a dark margin. The samples were brought to the lab, and isolations were made on acidified potato dextrose agar (PDA; 3% acetic acid). After 3 days at room temperature, 10-mm-diameter white cultures with appressed mycelium were observed. Two days later, the colonies acquired a greenish cast particularly at the centers, and these yielded spores were identified as Curvularia affinis according to Ellis (1). The key characteristics were a scarcely protuberant hilum, spore size of 25 × 11 μm, and four-septate, curved conidia. DNA sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer region of ribosomal DNA was used to confirm the identity, and aside from sequence length differences, the match with a C. affinis sequence in GenBank was 100%. Inoculating the fungus onto field-grown F. arundinacea that had been washed, cut, and placed in 15-cm-diameter glass petri plates tested pathogenicity. The stems were at least 10 cm long and bore multiple attached leaves. The plates were layered with tissue paper that had been wetted and autoclaved. Sterile water was added to ensure sufficient moisture, and the tissue paper was folded over the bottom 1 cm of stems. Growing the fungus on PDA produced inoculum. Of the eight stems in the plate, one-half were used as a noninoculated check, while the remaining four stems were inoculated with three 5-mm-diameter agar plugs per stem. The plates were incubated at 25°C under continuous fluorescent light, and the inoculum plugs were removed after 48 h. Within 24 h after plug removal, lesions began to appear on the leaves. Circular brown spots were initially less than 5 mm wide, but within 2 days they darkened and grew to 10 mm wide and some of the lesions had a bright yellow margin. No lesions were found on noninoculated stems, which remained turgid and green throughout the trial. C. affinis was successfully reisolated from symptomatic tissue, completing Koch's postulates. To our knowledge, this is the first report of C. affinis on a turfgrass species, although it has been previously found on rice (1). Reference: (1) M. B. Ellis. Dematiaceous hyphomycetes VII: Curvularia, Brachysporium, etc. Mycol. Pap. 106:1, 1966.

[Clinical characteristics of Parkinson's disease in natural population]

OBJECTIVE

To study the Clinical characteristics of Parkinson's disease(PD) in natural population.

METHODS

All the patients diagnosed as Parkinsonism from a prevalence study in Beijing in 1997 were collected for investigation. The spectrum of the clinical features of Parkinsonism and the onset, progression and prognosis of PD were analysed, as well as the impact factors to the prognosis were analysed.

RESULTS

109 cases were ascertained as PD from the sample population, in which 64(58.7%) were PD, 11 (10.1%) were Parkinson plus syndrome and 34(31.2%) were symptom Parkinsonism. 30 of the 64 PD cases were male. The median age of PD was 74.5 years. The median age at onset was 68 years old. The median duration was 5 years. The average Hoehn-Yahr staging score was 2.81. The clinical characteristics of PD and other Parkinsonism were compared, as asymmetry of symptoms and signs was an important feature to differentiate PD from other Parkinsonism. 20.3 percent of PD cases were associated with dementia. 16(25%) of the 64 PD cases initiated with essential tremor and developed to PD during 6-49 years after the onset of tremor. Tremor was the dominant initial symptoms of PD(60.9%). Type of initial symptoms was a relatively definite impact factor to the prognosis of PD. Levodopa treatment was likely to delay the duration of PD.

CONCLUSIONS

The clinical features of Parkinsonism in natural population were different as compared with previous studies. A further study on the natural history of PD thoroughly is needed.

Morphine inhibited respiratory burst of neutrophils and scavenged oxygen free radicals

AIM

To study the effects of morphine on active oxygen free radicals.

METHOD

Chemiluminescence method was used to measure (a) active oxygen generation induced by respiratory burst of neutrophils from human blood stimulated with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), (b) Superoxide anion (O2.-) induced by xanthine-xanthine oxidase system, (c) hydroxyl radical (.OH) generated by ascorbic acid (AA)-Cu(2+)-zymosan, and (d) the release of H2O2.

RESULTS

The (a), (b), (c), and (d) were scavenged by morphine and their median inhibitory concentrations (IC50 and 95% confidence limits) were 21.1 (13.0-34.0), 54.1 (50.0-58.5), 224.0 (128.2-390.8), and 66.9 (62.9-71.0), nmol L-1, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The immunosuppressant effect of morphine was related to its free radicals scavenging action.

[Effect of tetramethylpyrazine in inhibiting respiratory burst of polymorphonuclears and scavenging oxygen free radicals]

Chemiluminescence method was used to measure (1) Active oxygen production induced by respiratory burst of polymorphonuclears (PMN) from human blood stimulated with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA); (2) Superoxide (O2-.) induced by xanthine-xanthine oxidase system; (3) Hydroxyl radicals (.OH) produced by Vit C-Cu(2+)-zymosan; and (4) The release of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Effects of tetramethylpyrazine on these active oxygen species were observed. The results showed respiratory burst of PMN was inhibited by tetramethylpyrazine, superoxide and hydrogen peroxide were scavenged by tetramethylpyrazine and their median inhibition concentration (IC50, mumol.L-1) were 5.6 and 7.1 respectively.