Correlation of Chlamydia pneumonias infection with primary biliary cirrhosis

AIM:To evaluate the association between Chlamydia pneumoniae (Cpn) infection and primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). METHODS: CpnIq/G and IgM were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELBA) in 41 well-established PBC patients and two race-matched control groups (post-hepatitis cirrhosis, n = 70; healthy controls, n = 57). RESULTS: The mean level and seroprevalence of Cpn IgG in PBC group and post-hepatitis cirrhosis (PHC) group were significantly higher than those in healthy controls (46.8±43.4 RU/mL, 49.5±45.2 RU/mL vs28.3±32.7 RU/mL; 68.3%, 71.4%, 42.1%, respectively; P<0.05). There was a remarkably elevated seroprevalence of Cpn IgM in patients with PBC (22.0%) compared to the PHC and healthy control (HC) groups. For the PBC patients versus the HCs, the odds ratios (ORs) of the presence of Cpn IgG and IgM were 2.7 (95% CI 0.9-6.1) and 5.1 (95% CI 1.4-18.5), respectively. Though there was no correlation in the level of Cpn IgG with total IgG in sera of patients with PBC (r = -0.857, P = 0.344>0.05), Cpn IgM was related with the abnormally high concentrations of total IgM in PBC group. CONCLUSION: The results of this study do not support the hypothesis that infection with Chlamydia pneumoniae may be a triggering agent or even a causative agent in PBC, but suggest that Chlamydia pneumoniae infection probably contributes to the high level of IgM present in most patients with PBC.

Study on Sustainable Development of Small Hydropower in China

China bears a high relief in thewest and low in the east, with complex topography, totaling 2/3 ofthe whole country's area for mountains, hilly regions and zigzag plateaus. Therefore the hydraulic resources are abundant, with potential hydraulic amount of about 680000MW, of which, small hydropower resource is very rich too and has great exploitable potential. According to general investigation in early 1980s,the exploitable amount reached 87000MW, ranking the top in the world.

The Grape Component Resveratrol Interferes with the Function of Chemoattractant Receptors on Phagocytic Leukocytes

Resveratrol (3, 5, 4'-trihydroxystilbene) (RV) is a constituent of grape seeds with anti-inflammatory andanti-oxidant activities. In this study, we examined the capacity of RV to modulate the function of Gprotein-coupled chemoattractant receptors, which play important roles in inflammation and immune responses.RV, over a non-cytotoxic concentration range, inhibited chemotactic and calcium mobilization responses ofphagocytic cells to selected chemoattractants. At low micromolar concentrations,RV potently reducedsuperoxide anion production by phagocytic leukocytes in response to the bacterial chemotactic peptide fMLF, ahigh affinity ligand for formylpeptide receptor FPR, and Ap.4z, an Alzheimer's disease-associated peptide and aligand for the FPR variant FPRL1. In addition, RV reduced phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulatedkinase (ERK1/2) and the activation of nuclear factor NF-KB induced by formylpeptide receptor agonists. Theseresults suggest that the inhibition of the function of chemoattractant receptors may contribute to theanti-inflammatory properties of RV Thus, RV may be therapeutically promising for diseases in which activationof formylpeptide receptors contributes to the pathogenic processes. Cellular&Molecular Immunology. 2004;1(1):50-56.