Prediction of Ocular Irritancy of 26 Chemicals and 26 Cosmetic Products with Isolated Rabbit Eye (IRE) Test

Objective This study aims to establish and evaluate the methodology of isolated rabbit eye （IRE） test. Methods IRE test was performed according to modifications of the in vitro toxicology （INVITTOX） Protocol No.85： Rabbit enucleated eye test by European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods （ECVAM）, and then 26 chemicals and 26 cosmetic products were tested in both in vitro IRE and in vivo Draize tests. A statistical analysis was conducted to determine the relevance of the IRE test to the data generated in the Draize test. Results IRE test was established successfully in our laboratory. It was shown that ranking correlation and class concordance were fairly well between the IRE test and the Draize test for 26 reference chemicals （Fisher＇s Exact Test X2=51.314, P〈0.001; McNemar P=0.261; Gamma=0.960, P〈0.001; Kappa=0.843, P〈0.001） and 26 cosmetic products （Fisher＇s Exact Test X^2=15.522, P〈0.O01; McNemar P=0.311; Gamma=0.967, P〈0.001; Kappa=0.611, P〈0.O01）. Conclusion IRE test was established successfully for in vitro testing of eye irritation as an alternative to Draize test.

Relationship between Host Survival and the Type of Immune Response in Different Organs during Disseminated Candidiasis

Summary: To examine the relationship between host survival and the type of immune response in different organs during disseminated candidiasis, the murine model of disseminated candidiasis was established by injection with Candida albicans via tail vein. The survival time was observed for up to 60 days. And the expression levels of cytokines in the spleen and kidney, including IFN-γ and IL-4, were determined with RT-PCR. Our results showed that in the spleen, both non-fatal and fatal inoculum caused a type Ⅱimmune response with steady expression levels of IFN-γ and the obviously increased levels of IL-4. While in the kidney, non-fatal inoculum induced a typeⅠimmune response with the obviously increased levels of IFN-γ and the steady expression levels of IL-4. However, fatal inoculum induced a type Ⅱ immune response with a constant expression of IFN-γ and the evidently increased levels of IL-4. It is concluded that in disseminated candidiasis, host survival is associated with the type of immune responses in the kidney, but not in the spleen.

Study on Life Prediction Model of Concrete Dam Based on Dry Zoning and Damage Theory

Concrete dam construction, reservoir impoundment and operation are a complicated and long-term process. During the course of this process dam suffers lots of factors including changing temperature, humidity, deformation, loads and restraints around dam. With time going by, damage to darn concrete happens. As a result, the strength, stiffness and resistance of concrete will decrease accompanying with damage accumulation and dam structure performance behavior and lifetime will be shorten or even destructed. At present, most of researches focus on concrete material itself and seldom consider effects of water content for concrete structures. That is apparently inconsistent with the actual situation. In engineering practice, it is urgently needed to assess existing dam structure damage state considering dry zoning in concrete. Through taking C30 dam concrete as standard specimen, alternate freezing and thawing tests are undertaken and changing law of time-dependent concrete damage state resulting in alternate wetting and drying has been studied in this paper. And then calculation formulas of time-dependent concrete damage evolution process considering alternate wetting and drying under condition of freeze-thaw cycle tests are established. Combining with four parameters Hsieh-Ting-Chen （ H -T-C ） model, some relevant factors or parameters are obtained through indoor testing and life prediction model of concrete dam based on dry zoning and damage theory is put forward which provides technical supports for dam safety evaluation and management of sustainable development.