Search

The Hyrcanus group of Anopheles consists of many related species, of which An. sinensis, An. lesteri, and An. anthropophagus are known as malaria vector species. It is not possible to identify these species morphologically in the adult and larval stages. Nucleotide sequence alignment of 2nd internal transcribed spacer (ITS2) regions from 4 specimens of An. lesteri collected in Japan, 2 specimens of An. anthropophagus collected in China, and 1 specimen of An. sinensis collected in Korea were sequenced and compared. Sequences of ITS2 regions varied only at 4 sites between An. lesteri and An. anthropophagus, and individual variations among each An. lesteri and An. anthropophagus were found at 5 and 7 sites, respectively, whereas sequences varied at 161 sites between An. lesteri and An. sinensis. This molecular evidence strongly supports that An. lesteri from Japan and An. anthropophagus from China are the same species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The biological and chemical natures of materials adsorbed onto fine particulate matter (PM2.5) vary by origin and passage routes. The exacerbating effects of the two samples-urban PM2.5 (U-PM2.5) collected during the hazy weather in a Chinese city and fine particles (ASD-PM2.5) collected during Asian sand dust (ASD) storm event days in Japan-on murine lung eosinophilia were compared to clarify the role of toxic materials in PM2.5. The amounts of β-glucan and mineral components were higher in ASD-PM2.5 than in U-PM2.5. On the other hand, organic chemicals, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), were higher in U-PM2.5 than in ASD-PM2.5. When BALB/c mice were intratracheally instilled with U-PM2.5 and ASD-PM2.5 (total 0.4 mg/mouse) with or without ovalbumin (OVA), various biological effects were observed, including enhancement of eosinophil recruitment induced by OVA in the submucosa of the airway, goblet cell proliferation in the bronchial epithelium, synergic increase of OVA-induced eosinophil-relevant cytokines and a chemokine in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and increase of serum OVA-specific IgG1 and IgE. Data demonstrate that U-PM2.5 and ASD-PM2.5 induced allergic inflammatory changes and caused lung pathology. U-PM2.5 and ASD-PM2.5 increased F4/80(+) CD11b(+) cells, indicating that an influx of inflammatory and exudative macrophages in lung tissue had occurred. The ratio of CD206 positive F4/80(+) CD11b(+) cells (M2 macrophages) in lung tissue was higher in the OVA+ASD-PM2.5 treated mice than in the OVA+U-PM2.5 treated mice. These results suggest that the lung eosinophilia exacerbated by both PM2.5 is due to activation of a Th2-associated immune response along with induced M2 macrophages and the exacerbating effect is greater in microbial element (β-glucan)-rich ASD-PM2.5 than in organic chemical-rich U-PM2.5., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Chrysotile had been used in asbestos textile workshops in Southeast China but a clear relation to mesothelioma is lacking., Methods: All patients diagnosed with mesothelioma from 2003 to 2010 at Yuyao People's Hospital were re-evaluated by multiple expert pathologists with immunohistochemistry and asbestos exposure data were collected., Results: Of 43 patients with a mesothelioma diagnosis, 19 peritoneal and nine pleural cases were finally diagnosed as mesothelioma. All were females, and the mean age of the patients with peritoneal or pleural mesothelioma was 52.4 and 58.2 years, respectively. All these cases had a history of domestic or occupational exposure to chrysotile. Two-thirds of the patients were from two adjoining towns with multiple small asbestos textile workshops. Contamination of tremolite was estimated to be less than 0.3%., Conclusions: This is a report of mesothelioma in women exposed to chrysotile asbestos at home and at work, with an over-representation of peritoneal mesothelioma., (© 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

The second case of phaeohyphomycosis caused by Veronaea botryosa in China, in a 12-year-old boy from Jiangsu Province, is presented. Based on direct examination of the scrapings from crusted lesions; histologic examination of the biopsy tissue showing septate, phaeoid hyphal elements; and the culture exhibiting sympodial, conidiogenous cells producing predominantly two-celled, cylindric conidia, the etiologic agent was identified as V. botryosa.

This study was undertaken to examine further the natural infection of poikilothermic animals e.g. turtles, to Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus. Plasma samples from 75 soft-shelled fresh water turtles (Trionyx sinensis Wiegman) from China were examined in virus neutralization (VN) and hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) tests for the presence of specific antibody. The total incidence of antibody detected by either test to a titer of 10 or greater was 89% while 77% and 60% were positive by VN and HAI tests, respectively. Forty-one per cent were jointly positive by both tests. Mean HAI and VN titers were similar and showed no obvious differences between spring/summer and autumn/winter seasons. The HAI reactivity was associated with a 7S component for both seasons. The significance of this inhibition in the serology of poikilothermic hosts and the possible behaviour of T. sinensis in the natural history of JE virus is briefly considered.