The inactivated EV71 vaccine elicited EV71-specific immune responses and protection against EV71-associated hand, foot, and mouth disease. (Funded by the National Basic Research Program and others; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01569581.).

Infection with Toxoplasma gondii is common and usually asymptomatic, but it can have serious consequences in pregnant women if passed to the developing fetus. The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of toxoplasmosis in pregnant women and to identify the possible risk factors associated with T. gondii infection in China. Of a sample of 235 pregnant women in Changchun, China, 25 (10.6%) were found by ELISA to be positive for IgG and none (0%) for IgM. Major risk factors were found by bivariate and multivariate analysis to include eating raw or undercooked meat, unwashed raw vegetables or fruit, contact with cats, living in rural areas, and low educational standards. In order to lower congenital infection, pregnant women need to be informed about the risk factors for toxoplasmosis.

No abstract

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) contains various growth factors and appears to have the potential to promote peripheral nerve regeneration, but evidence is lacking regarding its biological effect on Schwann cells (SCs). The present study was designed to investigate the effect of PRP concentration on SCs in order to determine the plausibility of using this plasma-derived therapy for peripheral nerve injury. PRP was obtained from rats by double-step centrifugation and was characterized by determining platelet numbers and growth factor concentrations. Primary cultures of rat SCs were exposed to various concentrations of PRP (40%, 20%, 10%, 5% and 2.5%). Cell proliferation assays and flow cytometry were performed to study to assess SC proliferation. Quantitative real-time PCR and ELISA analysis were performed to determine the ability of PRP to induce SCs to produce nerve growth factor (NGF) and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF). Microchemotaxis assay was used to analyse the cell migration capacity. The results obtained indicated that the platelet concentration and growth factors in our PRP preparations were significantly higher than in whole blood. Cell culture experiments showed that 2.5-20% PRP significantly stimulated SC proliferation and migration compared to untreated controls in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, the expression and secretion of NGF and GDNF were significantly increased. However, the above effects of SCs were suppressed by high PRP concentrations (40%). In conclusion, the appropriate concentration of PRP had the potency to stimulate cell proliferation, induced the synthesis of neurotrophic factors and significantly increased migration of SCs dose-dependently. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Data from limited autopsies of human patients demonstrate that pathological changes in EV71-infected fatal cases are principally characterized by clear inflammatory lesions in different parts of the CNS; nearly identical changes were found in murine, cynomolgus and rhesus monkey studies which provide evidence of using animal models to investigate the mechanisms of EV71 pathogenesis. Our work uses neonatal rhesus monkeys to investigate a possible model of EV71 pathogenesis and concludes that this model could be applied to provide objective indicators which include clinical manifestations, virus dynamic distribution and pathological changes for observation and evaluation in interpreting the complete process of EV71 infection. This induced systemic infection and other collected indicators in neonatal monkeys could be repeated; the transmission appears to involve infecting new monkeys by contact with feces of infected animals. All data presented suggest that the neonatal rhesus monkey model could shed light on EV71 infection process and pathogenesis.

Doxorubicin (DOX) is one of the most commonly used antineoplastic agents, but its clinical application is oftentimes coupled with severe side effects. Selective delivery of DOX to tumors via nanosized drug carrier represents an attractive approach to this problem. Previously, we developed a dual functional nanomicellar carrier, PEG5K-embelin2 (PEG5K-EB2), which was able to deliver paclitaxel (PTX) selectively to tumors and to achieve an enhanced therapeutic effect. In the present study, we examined the utility of PEG5K-EB2 to deliver DOX to tumors. In addition, folic acid (FA) was coupled to the surface of the PEG5K-EB2 micelles (FA-PEG5K-EB2) to further improve the selective targetability of the system. DOX-loaded PEG5K-EB2 micelles were uniformly spherical particles with a diameter of approximately 20 nm. Incorporation of FA had minimal effect on the size of the particles. The DOX loading efficiency was as high as 91.7% and 93.5% for PEG5K-EB2 and FA-PEG5K-EB2, respectively. DOX formulated in PEG5K-EB2 micelles (with or without FA decoration) demonstrated sustained kinetics of DOX release compared to free DOX. FA-PEG5K-EB2 significantly facilitated the intracellular uptake of DOX over free DOX and PEGylated liposomal DOX (Doxil) in breast cancer cells, 4T1.2, and drug resistant cells, NCI/ADR-RES. P-gp ATPase assay showed that PEG5K-EB2 significantly inhibited the function of the P-gp efflux pump. The maximum tolerated dose of DOX-loaded PEG5K-EB2 micelles was 15 mg/kg in mice, which was 1.5-fold greater than that for free DOX. Pharmacokinetics (PK) and biodistribution studies showed that both types of DOX-loaded micelles, especially FA-PEG5K-EB2, were able to significantly prolong the blood circulation time of DOX and facilitate its preferential accumulation at the tumor tissue. Finally, DOX/PEG5K-EB2 mixed micelles demonstrated significantly enhanced tumor growth inhibitory effect with minimal toxicity in comparison to free DOX and Doxil and the antitumor activity was further enhanced after the decoration by folic acid. Our data suggest that FA-PEG5K-EB2 micelles represent a promising DOX delivery system that warrants more study in the future.

ObjectiveTo estimate the prevalence of HIV, HCV, HBV and co-infection with 2 or 3 viruses and evaluate risk factors among injecting drug users (IDUs) in Yunnan province, China.Methods2080 IDUs were recruited from 5 regions of Yunnan Province, China to detect the infection status of HIV, hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV). Statistical analysis was performed to evaluate risk factors related to HIV, HCV and HBV infections.ResultsThe infection rates among all participants were 25.5% for HIV, 77.7% for HCV, 19.2% for HBV, 15% for HIV/HCV, 0.3% for HIV/HBV, 7.8% for HCV/HBV and 7.1% for HIV/HCV/HBV. The prevalence of virus infection varied widely by region in Yunnan of China. Statistical analyses indicated that high prevalence of HIV and HCV among IDUs was positively associated with the duration of drug injection and sharing needles/syringes; besides, HCV infection was associated with the frequency of drug injection.ConclusionsHIV, HCV, HBV infections and co-infections were still very prevalent among IDUs in Yunnan province because of drug use behaviors.

Acellular nerve allografts (ANAs) behave in a similar manner to autografts in supporting axonal regeneration in the repair of short peripheral nerve defects but fail in larger defects. The objective of this article is to evaluate the effect of ANA supplemented with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) to improve nerve regeneration after surgical repair and to discuss the mechanisms that underlie this approach. Autologous PRP was obtained from rats by double-step centrifugation and was characterized by determining platelet numbers and the release of growth factors. Forty-eight Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 4 groups (12/group), identified as autograft, ANA, ANA loaded with PRP (ANA+PRP), and ANA loaded with platelet-poor plasma (PPP, ANA+PPP). All grafts were implanted to bridge long-gap (15 mm) sciatic nerve defects. We found that PRP with a high platelet concentration exhibited a sustained release of growth factors. Twelve weeks after surgery, the autograft group displayed the highest level of reinnervation, followed by the ANA+PRP group. The ANA+PRP group showed a better electrophysiology response for amplitude and conduction velocity than the ANA and ANA+PPP groups. Based on histological evaluation, the ANA+PRP and autograft groups had higher numbers of regenerating nerve fibers. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) demonstrated that PRP boosted expression of neurotrophins in the regenerated nerves. Moreover, the ANA+PRP and autograft groups showed excellent physiological outcomes in terms of the prevention of muscle atrophy. In conclusion, ANAs loaded with PRP as tissue-engineered scaffolds can enhance nerve regeneration and functional recovery after the repair of large nerve gaps nearly as well as autografts.