Epidemiologic Survey of Kawasaki Disease in Jilin from 1999 Through 2008

The epidemiologic pictures of Kawasaki disease (KD) in Jilin Province of China is still not clear. We sent a questionnaire form and diagnostic guidelines for KD to the province's 32 hospitals above the county and city level with pediatric in-patients. All patients with KD diagnosed during January 1999 through December 2008 were recruited in this survey. The incidence of KD was 1.39 to 11.07 (5.26 ± 3.97) per 100,000 children under the age of 5 years between 1999 and 2008. The ratio of male to female was 1.96 to 1. Ages at onset ranged from 58 days to 14 years. Patients under 5 years of age accounted of 88.73%. The disease occurred throughout the year, but it occurred more frequently in May to July and November. The most common cardiac abnormality was coronary artery dilatation (49.5%). Age at onset and hypoalbuminemia (<30 g/l) were selected for multivariate logistic regression equation. In conclusion, incidences of KD increased in Jilin Province. Age and gender distribution shared similarities with previous reports, and the seasonal distribution was different. Age and lower serum albumin were the most important risk factors of coronary arterial lesions (CAL) in KD. In addition, patients treated with steroids also had a possible heightened risk of contracting CAL

Efficacy of praziquantel and artemisinin derivatives for the treatment and prevention of human schistosomiasis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Praziquantel has been used as first-line drug for chemotherapy of schistosomiasis since 1984. Besides praziquantel, artemether and artesunate have also been used for the control of this infectious disease since late 1990s. In this article, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the antischistosomal efficacy of different medication strategies including monotherapy or combination therapies of these drugs.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A number of 52 trials from 38 articles published in peer-reviewed journals before July 2011 were selected for analysis after searching the following literature databases: the Cochrane Library, PubMed/Medline, ISI Web of Science, Chinese Biomedicine Literature Database, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure. Our meta-analyses showed that a dosage of 30-60 mg/kg praziquantel compared with placebo produced a protection rate of about 76% (95% CI: 67%-83%) for treating human schistosomiasis, which varied from 70% to 76% with no significant differences among the subspecies <it>S. haematobium</it>, <it>S. japonicum </it>or <it>S. mansoni</it>. Protection rates were higher when praziquantel doses were elevated, as concluded from the nRCTs results: the protection rate of praziquantel at 40 mg/kg was 52% (95% CI: 49%-55%), and it increased to 91% (95% CI: 88%-92%) when the dosages were elevated to 60/80/100 mg/kg divided two or more doses. Multiple doses of artemether or artesunate over 1- or 2-week intervals resulted in protection rates of 65% to 97% for preventing schistosomiasis, and increased doses and shorter medication intervals improved their efficacies. Praziquantel and artemisinin derivatives (artemether or artesunate) in combination resulted in a higher protection rate of 84% (95% CI: 64%-91%) than praziquantel monotherapy for treatment. praziquantel and artesunate in combination had a great protection rate of 96% (95% CI: 78%-99%) for preventing schistosomes infection.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>According to the results, praziquantel remains effective in schistosomiasis treatment, and multiple doses would improve its efficacy; meanwhile, praziquantel is also a good drug for preventing acute schistosomiasis morbidity. It's better to use multiple doses of artemether or artesunate with 1- or 2-week intervals for prevention against schistosome infection. Praziquantel and artemether or artesunate in combination perform better in treatment than praziquantel monotherapy, and they are especially suitable for treating the patients with repeated exposure to infected water.</p

Tumor-suppressor activity of RRIG1 in breast cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Retinoid receptor-induced gene-1 (RRIG1) is a novel gene that has been lost in several types of human cancers. The aim of this study was to determine whether RRIG1 plays a role in breast cancer, such as in the suppression of breast cancer cell growth and invasion.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Immunohistochemistry was used to detect RRIG1 expression in breast tissue specimens. Gene transfection was used to restore or knock down RRIG1 expression in breast cancer cell lines for analysis of cell viability, colony formation, and migration/invasion potential. Reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and western blot assays were used to detect the changes in gene expression. The RhoA activation assay was used to assess RRIG1-induced inhibition of RhoA activity.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The immunohistochemical data showed that <it>RRIG1 </it>expression was reduced in breast cancer tissues compared with normal and atypical hyperplastic breast tissues. <it>RRIG1 </it>expression was inversely correlated with lymph node metastasis of breast cancer but was not associated with the status of hormone receptors, such as estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, or HER2. Furthermore, restoration of <it>RRIG1 </it>expression inhibited proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion of breast cancer cells. Expression of RRIG1 also reduced phosphorylated Erk1/2 and Akt levels; c-Jun, MMP9, and Akt expressions; and RhoA activity. In contrast, knockdown of RRIG1 expression promoted breast cancer cell proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion potential.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The data from the current study indicated that <it>RRIG1 </it>expression was reduced or lost in breast cancer and that restoration of RRIG1 expression suppressed breast cancer cell growth and invasion capacity. Future studies will determine the underlying molecular mechanisms and define RRIG1 as a tumor-suppressor gene in breast cancer.</p

In Vivo Gene Knockdown in Rat Dorsal Root Ganglia Mediated by Self-Complementary Adeno-Associated Virus Serotype 5 Following Intrathecal Delivery

We report here in adult rat viral vector mediate-gene knockdown in the primary sensory neurons and the associated cellular and behavior consequences. Self-complementary adeno-associated virus serotype 5 (AAV5) was constructed to express green fluorescent protein (GFP) and a small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). The AAV vectors were injected via an intrathecal catheter. We observed profound GFP expression in lumbar DRG neurons beginning at 2-week post-injection. Of those neurons, over 85% were large to medium-diameter and co-labeled with NF200, a marker for myelinated fibers. Western blotting of mTOR revealed an 80% reduction in the lumbar DRGs (L4–L6) of rats treated with the active siRNA vectors compared to the control siRNA vector. Gene knockdown became apparent as early as 7-day post-injection and lasted for at least 5 weeks. Importantly, mTOR knockdown occurred in large (NF200) and small-diameter neurons (nociceptors). The viral administration induced an increase of Iba1 immunoreactivity in the DRGs, which was likely attributed to the expression of GFP but not siRNA. Rats with mTOR knockdown in DRG neurons showed normal general behavior and unaltered responses to noxious stimuli. In conclusion, intrathecal AAV5 is a highly efficient vehicle to deliver siRNA and generate gene knockdown in DRG neurons. This will be valuable for both basic research and clinic intervention of diseases involving primary sensory neurons

Measurement of the cross-section of high transverse momentum vector bosons reconstructed as single jets and studies of jet substructure in pp collisions at √s = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This paper presents a measurement of the cross-section for high transverse momentum W and Z bosons produced in pp collisions and decaying to all-hadronic final states. The data used in the analysis were recorded by the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider at a centre-of-mass energy of √s = 7 TeV;{\rm Te}{\rm V}$and correspond to an integrated luminosity of$4.6\;{\rm f}{{{\rm b}}^{-1}}$. The measurement is performed by reconstructing the boosted W or Z bosons in single jets. The reconstructed jet mass is used to identify the W and Z bosons, and a jet substructure method based on energy cluster information in the jet centre-of-mass frame is used to suppress the large multi-jet background. The cross-section for events with a hadronically decaying W or Z boson, with transverse momentum${{p}_{{\rm T}}}\gt 320\;{\rm Ge}{\rm V}$and pseudorapidity$|\eta |\lt 1.9$, is measured to be${{\sigma }_{W+Z}}=8.5\pm 1.7$ pb and is compared to next-to-leading-order calculations. The selected events are further used to study jet grooming techniques

Observation of associated near-side and away-side long-range correlations in √sNN=5.02 TeV proton-lead collisions with the ATLAS detector

Two-particle correlations in relative azimuthal angle (Δϕ) and pseudorapidity (Δη) are measured in √sNN=5.02  TeV p+Pb collisions using the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The measurements are performed using approximately 1  μb-1 of data as a function of transverse momentum (pT) and the transverse energy (ΣETPb) summed over 3.1<η<4.9 in the direction of the Pb beam. The correlation function, constructed from charged particles, exhibits a long-range (2<|Δη|<5) “near-side” (Δϕ∼0) correlation that grows rapidly with increasing ΣETPb. A long-range “away-side” (Δϕ∼π) correlation, obtained by subtracting the expected contributions from recoiling dijets and other sources estimated using events with small ΣETPb, is found to match the near-side correlation in magnitude, shape (in Δη and Δϕ) and ΣETPb dependence. The resultant Δϕ correlation is approximately symmetric about π/2, and is consistent with a dominant cos⁡2Δϕ modulation for all ΣETPb ranges and particle pT

Search for pair-produced long-lived neutral particles decaying to jets in the ATLAS hadronic calorimeter in ppcollisions at √s=8TeV

The ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN is used to search for the decay of a scalar boson to a pair of long-lived particles, neutral under the Standard Model gauge group, in 20.3fb−1of data collected in proton–proton collisions at √s=8TeV. This search is sensitive to long-lived particles that decay to Standard Model particles producing jets at the outer edge of the ATLAS electromagnetic calorimeter or inside the hadronic calorimeter. No significant excess of events is observed. Limits are reported on the product of the scalar boson production cross section times branching ratio into long-lived neutral particles as a function of the proper lifetime of the particles. Limits are reported for boson masses from 100 GeVto 900 GeV, and a long-lived neutral particle mass from 10 GeVto 150 GeV

Search for the neutral Higgs bosons of the minimal supersymmetric standard model in pp collisions at root s=7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search for neutral Higgs bosons of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) is reported. The analysis is based on a sample of proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The data were recorded in 2011 and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 4.7 fb-1 to 4.8 fb-1. Higgs boson decays into oppositely-charged muon or τ lepton pairs are considered for final states requiring either the presence or absence of b-jets. No statistically significant excess over the expected background is observed and exclusion limits at the 95% confidence level are derived. The exclusion limits are for the production cross-section of a generic neutral Higgs boson, φ, as a function of the Higgs boson mass and for h/A/H production in the MSSM as a function of the parameters mA and tan β in the mhmax scenario for mA in the range of 90GeV to 500 GeV. Copyright CERN