Precursor-Like Anomalies prior to the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake: A Critical-but-Constructive Review

Results published since the last three years on the observations of the precursor-like anomalies before the May 12, 2008, Wenchuan, Ms8.0 earthquake are collected and analyzed. These retrospective case studies would have provided heuristic clues about the preparation process of this inland great earthquake and the predictability of this destructive event if the standards for the rigorous test of earthquake forecast schemes were strictly observed. At least in some of these studies, however, several issues still need to be further examined to confirm or falsify the connection of the reported observations with the Wenchuan earthquake. Some of the problems are due to the inevitable limitation of observational infrastructure at the recent time, but some of the problems are due to the lack of communication about the test of earthquake forecast schemes. For the interdisciplinary studies on earthquake forecast, reminding of the latter issue seems of special importance for promoting the works and cooperation in this field

Detection of the four major human herpesviruses simultaneously in whole blood and cerebrospinal fluid samples by the fluorescence polarization assay

SummaryObjectivesHerpes simplex virus type 1/2 (HSV-1/-2), cytomegalovirus (CMV), and Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) correlate strongly with infections of the central nervous system. The objective of this study was to develop a method for the simultaneous detection of HSV-1/-2, CMV, and EBV DNA by the fluorescence polarization assay based on asymmetric polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and hybridization.MethodsDNA of HSV-1/-2, CMV, and EBV was amplified in an asymmetric PCR by a universal primer system. The amplicons were then detected by the fluorescence polarization assay. In this method, the probes for HSV-1/-2, CMV, and EBV hybridized with their respective target amplicons, and the hybridization resulted in an increase in the fluorescence polarization values. Infections of HSV-1/-2, CMV, and EBV were determined by the increased fluorescence polarization values. The DNA extracted from whole blood and cerebrospinal fluid samples was subjected to fluorescence polarization and a previously published multiplex PCR assay in parallel.ResultsCompared to the multiplex PCR assay, no significant difference in the numbers of samples positive for the human herpesviruses was identified by the fluorescence polarization assay.ConclusionsThe fluorescence polarization assay presented in this study is a reliable, convenient, and cost-effective diagnostic tool that allows the detection of the four major human herpesviruses