Seroepidemiology and genotyping of hepatitis E virus in Singapore reveal rise in number of cases and similarity of human strains to those detected in pig livers

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) causes 20 million infections worldwide yearly, of which only about 3.3 million are symptomatic. In developed Asian countries, HEV strains detected in human sera and in food sources were genetically similar, suggesting that indigenous HEV infections may be largely food‐borne. To assess the burden of hepatitis E in Singapore, we performed a seroepidemiologic study of the infection. Additionally, we carried out HEV genotyping on archived, residual HEV IgM‐positive serum samples collected between 2014 and 2016 (n = 449), and on pig liver samples (n = 36) purchased from wet markets and supermarkets. Our study shows a rise in hepatitis E incidence (IgM) from 1.7 to 4.1 cases per 100,000 resident population from 2012 to 2016 and an increase in hepatitis E IgG positivity rate among residents from 14% in 2007 to 35% in 2016. Other findings also suggest the epidemiology of hepatitis E in Singapore has shifted, from it being mainly a disease imported from the Indian subcontinent, to one that is now increasingly prevalent in our resident population. Genotypes obtained from 143 human samples identified the majority to be genotype 3 (n = 121), 21 to be genotype 1 and one to be genotype 4. Further phylogenetic analyses suggest genotype 3a to be the cause of indigenous infections in residents, which showed genetic similarity to the genotype 3a strains detected in pig livers. This link between the strains in the majority of human samples and those in pig livers consumed by the public suggests a possible food‐borne route of HEV infection in Singapore.     

性成熟前小鼠生精细胞的发育过程

用光镜、电镜观察了生后 1～ 1 8d昆明白小鼠的生精上皮。结果显示 ,生后 1～ 3 d,曲细精管内只有生殖母细胞和支持细胞 2类形态结构截然不同的细胞 ,前者位于管中部 ;生后 4～ 5d,少数生殖母细胞已附着在基膜上 ;生后 6～ 7d,原始 A型精原细胞大量出现并附着在基膜上 ;生后 8d,A型精原干细胞大量出现 ,B型精原细胞开始出现 ;生后 1 0 d,B型精原细胞大量出现 ;生后 1 2～ 1 3 d,前初级精母细胞出现 ,少数曲细精管的管腔开始出现 ;生后 1 4～ 1 5d,多数曲细精管管腔基本形成 ,前初级精母细胞大量出现。本试验的结果表明 ,7～ 8d小鼠的睾丸最适于分离精原干细胞     

A cluster of two psittacosis cases among women farmers exposed to Chlamydia psittaci-infected domestic poultry in Zhejiang Province,China

A cluster of Chlamydia psittaci (C. psittaci) cases was reported in Zhejiang Province, China, 2019. This study evaluates the extent of the outbreak and determines the source of infection. Real-time PCR and sequencing of the ompA gene of C. psittaci were performed to identify the cases, the domesticated poultry and close contacts. The index patient was a 76-year-old woman with chronic vertigo, and Case 2 was a 64-year-old female farmer with herpes zoster. Both women bought psittaci-infected chickens or ducks from the same mobile street vendor and raised them for 10 days and 23 days before fever onset. There were no direct contact between the two women. C. psittaci test was positive for the two patients, one sick chicken, three healthy ducks and the vendor's chicken cage. Phylogenetic analysis showed that all seven C. psittaci positive samples carried identical ompA genotype A of C. psittaci. Of all of the patients' 148 close contacts, none tested positive for C. psittaci, or developed acute respiratory symptoms. Both patients were discharged after a 4-week hospital stay. In conclusion, the source of this cluster was the poultry infected with C. psittaci, which occasionally cause infections in farmers, but inter-human transmission seems unlikely.     

三种鹅鸡草的生物系统学研究

通过对鹅观草属犬草组长芒鹅观草、缘毛鹅观和鹅观草３个种及春种间杂种的形态变异、染色体配对行为和繁育特性进行研究,探讨这３个种的亲缘关系。Ｆ１植株的外形趋于两亲本之间。在减数分裂过程中,亲本种染色体配对正常。杂种Ｆ１的染色体配对数较高,平均构型：Ｒ．ｐｅｎｄｕｌｉｎａ＊Ｒ．ｄｏｌｉｃｈａｔｈｅｒａ为０．５６１Ⅰ＋１３．７２Ⅱ;Ｒ．ｄｏｌｉｃｈａｔｈｅｒａ＊Ｒ．ｋａｍｏｊｉ为７．５８Ⅰ＋１３．５８Ⅱ＋     

Animal Biowarfare Research: Historical Perspective and Potential Future Attacks

A biological attack on livestock or poultry could result in the loss of valuable animals, costs related to the containment of outbreaks and the disposal of carcasses, lost trade and other economic effects involving suppliers, transporters, distributors and restaurants; however, it is not possible to secure all livestock, and livestock are much less well guarded than human targets. Thus, the vulnerability of the livestock industry to the introduction of biological agents varies for the following reasons: (i) the majority of lethal and contagious biological agents are environmentally resilient, endemic in foreign countries and harmless to humans, making it easier for terrorists to acquire, handle and deploy these pathogens, (ii) with animals concentrated in fewer production facilities and frequently transported between these facilities, a single pathogen introduction could cause widespread infection and (iii) the extent of human travel around the globe makes it difficult to exclude exotic animal diseases as possible biological agents. Historically, many governments have developed and planned to use biological agents for direct attacks on livestock or poultry. In the past, developed nations have actively developed biological weapons to target animals. The potential spectrum of bioterrorism ranges from isolated acts against individuals by individuals to tactical and strategic military attacks and state‐sponsored international terrorism intended to cause mass casualties in animals, humans or both. This review provides an overview of the past development and use of biological weapons and describes potential future attacks.     

生长激素对蛋白质动态代谢与氨基酸利用的调控

生长激素是调节动物生长的众多激素中最重要的一种 ,它通过在肌肉与脂肪组织之间极强的营养重分配作用 ,增加体蛋白沉积 ,减少脂肪沉积 ,从而改变这两种组织的生长状况来实现其促生长功能。动物体内蛋白沉积是蛋白合成与降解同时进行的两个过程动态平衡的结果。本文综述了近年来有关生长激素对动物蛋白质动态代谢与氨基酸利用调控方面的研究结果 ,指出生长激素使蛋白质合成与降解速率均增加 ,整体蛋白质周转代谢强度加大 ,从而导致蛋白质沉积增加。     

园林布局中必然性和偶然性要素的辩识与运用

阐释了园林构成要素中的必然性要素和偶然性要素及其相互关系与运用意义；以昆明世博园中“齐鲁园”为例，辩识了“齐鲁园”中必然性与偶然性园林要素，分析了诸要素在特定园林环境布局中的运用。     

小肽的吸收与转运及其营养作用

随着动物营养学研究的发展,蛋白质营养的研究也在逐步深入,由原来的粗蛋白营养发展到氨基酸营养,进一步发展到现在的小肽营养。本文就小肽的吸收、转运、营养及其在动物生产中的应用,以及目前小肽研究领域中存在的问题等方面进行阐述。     

不同的干燥工艺对荷花蜂花粉功能成分的影响

探讨了5种干燥工艺对荷花蜂花粉功能成分的影响。微波干燥的干燥效率最高,60%火力处理540s可使水分从31.41%降到6.42%;干燥方式对荷花蜂花粉蛋白质影响较小;微波干燥后总黄酮提取率最高,为13.20mg/g;真空冷冻干燥后维生素C和过氧化氢酶含量最高,分别为48.89mg/100g和29.86mg/g·min。总的来说,真空冷冻干燥对荷花蜂花粉的功能成分影响最小;常压恒温干燥对功能成分影响较小、工艺简单、对设备要求低,宜于大规模应用于实际生产中。     

家蚕母种继代蛾区选择方法对种性维持的影响

为了有效保持生产实用家蚕品种的优良性状,在家蚕母种继代繁育中采用5种选择方法选择继代蛾区,探讨种性维持效果。分析8年12代及F1代的成绩表明:所有性状以保持种性为主,采用选留平均数上下1个标准差范围内蛾区的稳定化选择和以茧丝质指标在平均数-0.5~1.0标准差范围内选择,并结合健康性指标选留高值的综合选择,有利于家蚕母种的种性维持。