In order to identify the distribution of gene types of β-thalassemia and reduce the birthrates of β-thalassemia major in Guiyang area, 1054 pregnant women and their spouses from Affiliated Hospital, Guiyang Medical College were screened. The positive samples were analyzed with polymerase chain reaction and reverse dot blot method (PCR-RDB). When both partners were heterozygous identified as carriers for β- thalassemia, the risk of having a fetus who was homozygous or compound heterozygous was 2.66%; the ratio of male to female was 1/1.15. Seven types of mutation were identified. CD17 and CD41–42 were dominant among them. Among the 4 cases subject to prenatal gene diagnosis, one fetus was completely normal and 3 fetuses were diagnosed as having β-thalassemia major (1 homozygous and 2 compound heterozygous). The fetuses diagnosed as β-thalassemia major were selectively terminated within two weeks. It was concluded that the birthrate of β-thalassemia major in Guiyang area was reduced and the target of improving birth outcome and child development has been achieved.

The expression, activity and clinical implication of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in the chronic renal insufficiency (CRI) rat kidney and its mechanism were investigated. The 5/6 nephrectomized rats were assigned to sham operation group, CRI group and Hemin group. At the 8th week after second operation, blood pressure, urinary protein, serum creatinine (Scr) and BUN were measured. Renal pathologic changes were observed. The activity of HO and contents of erythropoietin (EPO) in serum and renal tissue were determined. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression and distribution of HO-1 in the CRI rat kidney. As compared with CRI group, the urinary protein, blood pressure, Scr and BUN in Hemin group were reduced significantly (P<0.05). The glomerular mesangial proliferation, inflammatory cellular infiltration of renal interstitium and interstitial fibrosis were ameliorated significantly. Immunohistochemistry and measurement of HO-1 activity revealed that the expression and activity of HO-1 was decreased in renal tissues and increased in serum in CRI group as compared with normal rats. HO-1 distributed mainly in tubular epithelial cells. The EPO contents in Hemin group were significantly higher than in CRI group. Through up-regulating the EPO level in serum and renal tissues, HO-1 retards the progression of CRI.

To clone the murine α-fetoprotein (AFP) gene, construct the eukaryotic expression vector of AFP and express in CHO cells, total RNA were extracted from Hepa 1–6 cells, and then the murine α-fetoprotein gene was amplified by RT-PCR and cloned into the eukaryotic expression vector pcDNA3. 1. The recombinant of vector was identified by restriction enzyme analysis and sequencing. After transient transfection of CHO cells with the vector, Western blotting was used to detect the expression of AFP. It is concluded that the 1.8 kb murine α-fetoprotein gene was successfully cloned and its eukaryotic expression vector was successfully constructed.