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A sensitive gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric method is described for reliably measuring endogenous uracil in 100 microl of human plasma. Validation of this assay over a wide concentration range, 0.025 microM to 250 microM (0.0028 microg/ml to 28 microg/ml), allowed for the determination of plasma uracil in patients treated with agents such as eniluracil, an inhibitor of the pyrimidine catabolic enzyme, dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase. Calibration standards were prepared in human plasma using the stable isotope, [15N2]uracil, to avoid interference from endogenous uracil and 10 microM 5-chlorouracil was added as the internal standard.

A hospital case-control study of meningioma was conducted in Heilongjiang Province in northeast China between September 1989 and December 1996. It included 183 cases of newly diagnosed primary meningioma and 366 individually matched hospital controls with non-neoplastic and non-neurological disease selected from six major hospitals. Cases and controls were matched by sex, age and area of residence and interviewed in the hospital wards to obtain information on medical history, occupation and lifestyle. No association with liquor or beer consumption was apparent. Cigarette smoking was positively associated with meningioma risk in women but not in men. In women, compared with non-smokers, the adjusted OR for pack-years of smoking above the median (124) was 6.2 (CI 2.04-18.87). Both of these observations contrast with the results of a study of glioma in the same population, using similar methods. The risk of meningioma was positively associated with reported occupational exposure to lead, tin, cadmium and ionising radiation in both genders., (Copyright 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

Our objective was to evaluate the safety of diagnostic levels of color Doppler ultrasound energy in the field of obstetrics and to provide the experimental data for its clinical application. After insonating pregnant rats with diagnostic levels of color Doppler ultrasound energy, we studied the cell cycles of the newborn rats by flow cytometry and factorial analysis. We found that the deoxyribonucleic acid content was not affected in any phase of the cell cycle in newborn rats by any of the different insonation times and frequencies.

A hospital-based case-control study was conducted in the Heilongjiang Province of northeast China between May 1993 and May 1995. A total of 129 histologically confirmed brain cancer cases (73 gliomas and 56 meningiomas) and 258 matched controls were interviewed in 6 major hospitals to examine the influence of dietary factors in developing brain cancer. Information was obtained about frequency of consumption of 57 food items. Odds ratios (ORs) were obtained from conditional logistic regression, including allowance for socio-demographic factors, alcohol, tobacco and total energy intake. Consumption of fresh vegetables (OR = 0.29 for the highest quartile compared with the lowest one), and specifically of Chinese cabbage and onion, fruit (OR = 0.15), fresh fish (OR = 0.38) and poultry (OR = 0.16) was inversely related to the risk of developing brain cancer. A protective effect was also seen for vitamin E intake, calcium and, although non-significantly, beta-carotene and vitamin C. Risk of brain cancer increased with consumption of salted vegetables (OR = 2.54) and salted fish.

Rr 190.70 p-602 n primers were used to amplify the rOmpA gene fragment of prototype strains (Rickettsia sibirica 246 strain and R. parkeri) and Chinese strains (BJ-90, Ha-91 and HLJ-054) of spotted fever group rickettsiae (SFGR). The PCR products were cloned into pGEM-T vector respectively and sequenced by Sanger's dideoxy method. The sequences of the tested strains were compared with the corresponding regions of prototype and reference strains of SFGR. The results showed that the homology of rOmpA gene fragments of prototype strains varied from 90.06%-96.62% in nucleotide and 83.05%-94.35% in putative amino acid respectively. Compared Chinese strains with prototype and reference strains of SFGR, it was found that the homology of BJ-90 strain and Ha-91 strain with R. sibirica 246 strain was the highest in nucleotide (99.06% and 98.31%, respectively) and in putative amino acid (98.87% and 96.61%, respectively), whereas HL-93 strain and HLJ-054 strain showed higher homology with R. japonica (96.62% and 95.68% in nucleotide, respectively) than others. Among all the Chinese strains, the homology between BJ-90 strain and Ha-91 strain was the highest, 99.25% in uncleotide and 97.74% in putative amino acid. The homology of nucleotide and putative amino acid between HL-93 strain and HLJ-054 strain was 98.12% and 94.92% respectively. The above results indicated that all SFGR so far isolated from different sources seem to be identical or closely related to R. sibirica, except for HL-93 and HLJ-054 strains, which could be considered as new members of SFGR.

Mutations of the BRCA1 tumor suppressor gene are the most commonly detected alterations in familial breast and ovarian cancer. Although BRCA1 is required for normal mouse development, the molecular basis for its tumor suppressive function remains poorly understood. We show here that BRCA1 increases p53-dependent transcription from the p21WAF1/CIP1 and bax promoters. We also show that BRCA1 and p53 proteins interact both in vitro and in vivo. The interacting regions map, in vitro, to aa 224-500 of BRCA1 and the C-terminal domain of p53. Tumor-derived transactivation-deficient BRCA1 mutants are defective in co-activation of p53-dependent transcription and a truncation mutant of BRCA1 that retains the p53-interacting region acts as a dominant inhibitor of p53-dependent transcription. BRCA1 and p53 cooperatively induce apoptosis of cancer cells. The results indicate that BRCA1 and p53 may coordinately regulate gene expression in their role as tumor suppressors.

Objective: To study the relationship between exfoliative cancer cells in the surgical field and pathological stages of breast cancer and provide a theoretical basis for killing or removing of the exfoliative cancer cells in the surgical field., Method: Cytological examination of surgical field washings was performed in 104 patients with breast cancer. The results and pathological stages were compared and analysed., Result: Exfoliative cancer cells were found in the surgical field washings in 36 of 104 (34.6%). Stage I, II and III showed a positive rate of 3.8%, 29.8% and 85.7%. The positive rate of T(1), T(2) and beyond T(3) were 10.8%, 33.3% and 77.3%, respectively. When the number of axillary metastatic lymph nodes was over four, the positive rate of exfoliative cancer cell was 76.0% and only 13.5% if no axillary lymph node metastasis., Conclusion: Killing or removing of the exfoliative cancer cells in the surgical field of breast cancer is necessary.

The nucleotide sequence of rOmpA gene fragment of three Chinese isolates of spotted fever group rickettsiae (SFGR) (BJ-90, Ha-91 and HLJ-054) was determined. The obtained nucleotide and putative amino acid sequences were compared with those of another Chinese SFGR isolate (HL-93) and several prototype SFGR strains. This comparison showed that the isolates BJ-90 and Ha-91 are closely related to each other and R. sibirica but different from the isolates HLJ-054 and HL-93. We assume that with exception of the isolates HLJ-054 and HL-93 that represent new, unique members of SFGR, the isolates BJ-90 and Ha-91 are closely related to R. sibirica, one of the prototype SFGR strains.

The primers Rr 190.70p and Rr 190.602n were used to detect spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsiae by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in ticks and small mammals collected in three different regions of China. The obtained results indicated that specific DNA fragments of SFG rickettsiae were amplified from Dermacentor silvarum, D. sinicus, D. auratus, Haemaphysalis concinna, H. wellingtoni, H. yeni, Apodemus agrarius, Microtus fortis. Clethrionomys rufocanus, Ondatra zibethica, Rattus flavipectus and hedgehog. The PCR product were digested with restriction endonucleases PstI and RsaI and the obtained electrophoretic profiles were compared with those of the prototype strains of SFG rickettsiae by the restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) technique. The comparisons showed that the profiles were identical to those of Rickettsia sibirica. In addition, three new isolates of R. sibirica were obtained from H. yeni, D. sinicus and hedgehog, and designated NH-95, BJ-95 and BHJ-95, respectively. These results not only demonstrated a horizontal transmission of the rickettsiae between ticks and hosts but also suggested that R. sibirica is widely distributed in China and its hosts and vectors are various, all that indicating the existence of natural foci of North Asia tick-borne spotted fever specific to China.

A case-control study of risk factors for glioma in adults was carried out in Heilongjiang province in northeast China. Between September 1989 and May 1995, 218 histologically confirmed cases of glioma requiring surgery for tumor removal (139 astrocytoma glioma and 79 other glioma) and 436 controls with non-neoplastic and non-neurological disease were recruited and personally interviewed in the wards of six major hospitals. Controls were matched by sex, age, and area of residence. Occupational, lifestyle, and medical information was obtained through a standardized questionnaire. Use of liquor was associated with cancer risk. Compared with males who never drank liquor, males with total lifetime liquor consumption of less than 1000 liters had an adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 1.60 (95% CI: 0.89-2.88) and for more than 1000 liters, 2.73 (95% CI: 1.06-7.08). Statistically significant associations were also found for diseases related to the brain (OR: 5.75; 95% CI: 1.08-30.47) and trauma to the head requiring medical attention (OR: 4.09; 95% CI: 2.51-10.31). Increased consumption of vegetables and of fruit were each associated with decreased glioma risk. Compared with lowest quartile intake, adjusted risks associated with highest quartile intake were 0.51 (95% CI: 0.29-0.89) for total vegetables and 0.28 (95% CI: 0.16-0.51) for total fruit.

PCR/RFLP technique was used to detect spotted fever group rickettsiae (SFGR) in ticks and small mammals collected in eleven scenic spots of Beijing suburb. We not only detected Rickettsia sibirica in D. sinicus and hedgehog collected nearby the Museum of Aviation, but also isolated two strains of SFGR from them, named as BJ-95 strain and BJH-95 strain respectively. The two strains were identified as R. sibirica by SDS-PAGE, Western blot and PCR/RFLP. The results demonstrated the existence of horizontal transmission of R. sibirica between ticks and small mammals and showed the most scenic spots except the vicinity of Museum of Aviation being investigated were safe to North Asia Fever. This is the first report on the isolation of R. sibirica in hedgehogs.

A 533 bp long PCR product amplified from rickettsial strain HL-93 DNA with the primer pair Rr 190.70p and Rr 190.602n, designed from DNA sequence encoding 190 K protein antigen of R. rickettsii, was cloned into plasmid vector PGEM-T and sequenced. The primer-flanking region of the product, an open reading frame, was 491 bp long. The sequence of the product was compared with those of the corresponding regions of DNAs of R. rickettsii (strain R), R. japonica (strain VR 1363) and R. conorii (strain Malish 7) which were reported earlier by other authors. The results showed that 23, 31 and 52 nucleotides in the compared sequence in strain HL-93 differed from those in R. japonica, R. rickettsii and R conorii, respectively. The homologies of strain HL-93 with R. japonica, R. rickettsii and R. conorii were 95.6%, 94% and 90% in nucleotide, and 89%, 87% and 80% in putative amino acid sequences. We consider strain HL-93 as a new member of the spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsiae on the basis of a high degree of homology and genetic divergence in the nucleotide sequence of a part of the 190 K protein gene.

146 cases of traffic multiple trauma associated with head injuries were studied. There was a significant difference in the ratio of associated injuries in various parts of the body. The three most encountered parts were chest, shoulder and leg. Death were mainly due to severe head injury, chest injury and shock. Atypical ushing syndrome was due to severe blood loss, even intracranial hypertension existed. The blood pressure decreased rapidly after operation. Since comatous patients were unable to provide chief complaint, misdiagnosis occurred during emergency stage.

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction endonuclease fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis were used to characterize the genotypic diversity of three isolates of spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsiae isolated from ticks in China. A primer pair designed from DNA sequence encoding 190 K protein antigen of R. rickettsii and genomic DNAs obtained from the isolates were used in PCR. The PCR products were cleaved with restriction endonucleases PstI and RsaI, and the digestion patterns were analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and compared with those of all known species and strains of SFG rickettsiae. The results showed that three isolates had the same PCR products as the other SFG rickettsiae under comparison. HL-93 strain, isolated from Hemophysalis concinna ticks collected in Hulin County, Heilongjiang Province, had unique PstI digestion pattern among SFG rickettsiae; strains BJ-93 and 053, isolated from Dermacentor sinicus and Haemaphysalis concinna ticks collected in Changping County, Beijing City, and Suifenhe City, Heilongjiang Province, respectively, had the same PstI and RsaI digestion patterns as strains R. sibirica 246, BJ-90 and IMTO-85. The present study demonstrated that the BJ-93 and 053 strains were genotypically identical with R. sibirica and the HL-93 strain was genotypically unique among SFG rickettsiae.

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique for amplification of genomic fragments of spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsiae directly from field samples of ticks, tick ova, tick larvae, tick faeces and organs of wild mice was employed for the first time in P.R. of China. Ticks and rodents were collected in Beijing and Heilongjiang, Hainan and Hebei Provinces. The PCR primers were designed from the DNA sequence encoding the 190 K protein of R. rickettsii for a 532 bp long product. Seven of ten tick samples, three of four tick ovum samples, one of two tick larva samples, four of seven tick faeces samples (the samples represented pools of several individuals), and two of twenty-seven wild mouse organs were found PCR-positive. In comparison with PCR assay, the haemolymph test gave similar but not so clear-cut results. PCR assay is recommended as a rapid, sensitive and convenient tool for the detection of SFG rickettsiae in endemic foci. The fact that tick faeces were found to certain extent PCR-positive for the presence of SFG rickettsiae is apparently the first report on this subject and contributes to the knowledge of the transmission of these micro-organisms in the nature.

It was the first time that a primer pairs derived from the 190KDa protein antigen gene of R. rickettsii were used to amplify SFGR DNA in ticks, tick ova, larva, tick faeces and rodent organs which were collected in Hebei, Heilongjiang, Hainan and Beijing. A 532bp fragment was respectively amplified from above samples. The results were partially in concordance with data obtained through rickettsiae isolation. It was suggested that PCR is a rapid, specific, sensitive and practical method for detection of SFGR in endemic foci.

Restriction endonuclease fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were used to characterize the genotypic diversity of 7 strains of Rickettsia conorii from South Africa, Ethiopia, Morocco, India and Russia. The strains of R. conorii were divided into four genotypes by Rsa I or Pst I endonuclease digestion of PCR-amplified rickettsial DNA using primers derived from the R. rickettsii 190 K antigen gene. M-1 and Barbash strains were genotypically identical, but different from Indian, Ethiopian and S7 strains, which formed another group. Simko and Moroccan strains were genotypically different from each other and also from other strains of R. conorii. We conclude that there exist a genotypic diversity among intraspecies of R. conorii.

One strain of spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsiae was isolated from a patient with febrile and headache who was missdiagnosed as common cold. The rickettsia was isolated by inoculation of yolk sacs of embryonated hen eggs with the patient's blood. The isolate was named as W-88 following the initial letter of the patient's name. It is the first time to report the isolation of SFG rickettsiae from human being who lived in city in China. In this study we compared the antigens of W-88 strain with seven prototype strains of SFG rickettsiae and six Chinese strains of SFG rickettsiae with one species-specific monoclonal antibody and one group reactive monoclonal antibody by indirect-immunofluorescence assay. The results demonstrated that W-88 strain and other Chinese strains JH-74, An-84, FT-84, MT-84, Se-85, To-85 of SFG rickettsiae were found identical to Rickettsia sibirica (strains 232 and 246) and differ from other prototypes of SFG rickettsiae.