A university-clustered tuberculosis outbreak during the COVID-19 pandemic in eastern China.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, a tuberculosis outbreak occurred in a university in eastern China, with 4,488 students and 421 staff on the campus. A 19-year-old student was diagnosed in August 2019. Later, the first round of screening was initiated among close contacts, but no active cases were found.

Osteoblast-derived extracellular matrix coated PLLA/silk fibroin composite nanofibers promote osteogenic differentiation of bone mesenchymal stem cells.

Poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) is one of the most commonly used synthetic materials for regenerative medicine, and silk fibroin (SF) is a natural protein with excellent biocompatibility. Combination of PLLA and SF in a proper proportion by electrospinning may generate composite nanofibers that could meet the requirements of scaffolding in bone tissue engineering. The application of PLLA/SF nanofibrous scaffold for osteogenesis is well established in vitro and in vivo.

Sheathless microflow cytometer utilizing two bulk standing acoustic waves.

In recent years, microflow cytometry has become a popular research field because of its potential to provide low-cost and disposable chips for complex cell analyses. Herein, we demonstrate a sheathless microflow cytometer which integrates a bulk standing acoustic wave based microchip capable of three dimensional cell focusing. Flow cytometry was successfully demonstrated using this system with a coefficient of variation (CV) of 2.

Optimal design of a driver of interdigital transducers used to generate standing surface acoustic waves for cell sorting.

A compact driver based on current feedback amplifiers is designed to drive interdigital transducers (IDTs) that generate standing surface acoustic waves for cell sorting. Compared with commercial RF amplifiers, this driver can be used to drive a wider range of loads without impedance matching. Furthermore, the driver works in a switch mode triggered by target cells, which significantly reduces power consumption in the system.

Influence of 24-diamino-5-phenylthiazole on neomycin ototoxicity in cultured organ of Corti explants.

Hair cells do not undergo spontaneous regeneration when they are damaged in the mammalian organ of Corti, leading to irreversible hearing loss. Previous studies have shown that 24-diamino-5-phenylthiazole (DAPT), an inhibitor of Notch signaling, plays a major role in inner ear development. However, whether DAPT influences antibiotic-induced hair cell damage remains uncertain.

[Preparation of chicken red blood cells for calibration of flow cytometry].

Objective: To prepare stable chicken red blood cells for the calibration of flow cytometry.

Methods: The traditional isolation method of chicken red blood cells was modified by incorporating gelatin technique, Ca2+-free HBSS treatment and low-speed centrifugation. The effect of fluorescence staining of the cells was improved by the addition of TritonX-100 to enhance the membrane permeability and Rnase enzymes to disintegrate RNA tiles.

[Cloning and polymorphism analysis of intron 2 of the GH gene in Takifugu].

Size and nucleotide polymorphisms of intron 2 of the growth hormone (GH) gene was studied in 82 individuals from Takifugu obscurus, Takifugu rubripes and Takifugu niphobles with PAGE, SSCP and cloning. Results showed that there were nine length variants (A~I) in these fishes, ranging from 271351 bp, with a frequency of variation of 24.22%.

[Experimental study of protective effects of Xuebijing injection on stress-induced organ damage in rabbit].

Objective: To investigate the protective effects of the integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine Xuebijing injection on stress-induced organ damage in rabbits.

Methods: Forty rabbits were randomly divided into four groups: the control group, the model group, the western medicine group, and the Xuebijing group. The stress-induced organ damage model was replicated by soak the rabbits in water, the animals in the western medicine group and Xuebijing group received injection of lytic cocktail and Xuebijing, respectively.