Siheyuan: I eat melons while doing scientific research

Chapter 1285 Purpose Unknown (5k)

After seeing what the material contained, Gao Zhendong was stunned. Brucellosis? How did this end up in Lou Xiao'e's hands?

Gao Zhendong actually knew about this disease, which had nothing to do with his online arguments in his previous life. After all, most trolls wouldn't understand it and wouldn't be able to start an argument with him.

Normally he wouldn't know, but he happened to have a cousin who was a graduate student at the Western Medical College in Sichuan Province, specializing in local epidemics including echinococcosis and brucellosis. The two brothers often bragged about it, and he happened to have heard it before. Moreover, he has a good memory and still remembers it to this day.

The problem with Brucella is that it's an intracellular parasite, meaning that antibiotics like penicillin, which target the cell wall, have little effect on it and can't penetrate deep into the cell. Once the remaining Brucella bacteria have multiplied and developed sufficiently inside the cell, the cell ruptures, releasing them and causing a recurrence.

This is the main reason why penicillin is ineffective against Brucella.

Another incredible thing about Brucella is that it can parasitize immune T cells, which means that the body's defense system becomes its protective shield, which is really annoying.

Because this disease is quite peculiar, both the symptoms and the treatment methods are quite peculiar, he remembers it very clearly.

"Did the comrade who returned to the city come to you to inquire about prevention or treatment?" Gao Zhendong asked.

"They suspect the treatment is related to drug resistance, which is what we're working on right now. Our colleagues already have countermeasures for prevention and control."

There are six species of Brucella: cattle, sheep, pigs, dogs, sheep, and sand rats. Four of them can infect humans, and they can also infect each other, which is quite annoying. This is also why the disease is very common in pastoral areas.

So although our comrades don't have many treatment options, they have at least put a lot of effort into research on prevention and treatment.

"Do you have a solution?"

Lou Xiao'e shook her head and then nodded: "A little..."

She told Gao Zhendong about her suggestion to use rifampicin for treatment.

After hearing this, Gao Zhendong almost blurted out "Genius!"

This is no joke; I genuinely think she's a genius, and she really hit the nail on the head, albeit only partially.

Seeing Gao Zhendong's surprised expression, Lou Xiao'e wrinkled her nose and said, "How about that? Aren't I amazing?"

Gao Zhendong nodded: "Impressive, indeed very impressive..."

Lou Xiao'e was pleased to hear this, but immediately felt something was amiss: "How do you know I'm capable?"

To judge whether someone is capable or not, there must be a standard, but theoretically there is no standard for this, so Lou Xiao'e found Gao Zhendong's words somewhat strange.

Upon hearing this, Gao Zhendong smiled and said, "What I mean is that your associative and analytical abilities are quite impressive." This kind of serious association is indeed very necessary and is one of the important basic qualities. Of course, unserious associations are another matter entirely.

That was close! We almost got caught.

"Hehehe~~~~" Lou Xiao'e laughed so hard her eyes narrowed when she heard Gao Zhendong's words.

After thinking for a while, Gao Zhendong decided to tell Lou Xiao'e as much as he knew.

"Xiao'e, since you're already thinking of referencing the tuberculosis bacillus, why not do it more thoroughly?" You said you'd refer to the tuberculosis bacillus, so I'll just go with the flow.

"Huh? You mean we should use another drug for tuberculosis as well?"

Gao Zhendong shook his head: "No, no, these are two different diseases after all, so we can't be so mechanical. What I mean is, we can use the same combination of drugs as for tuberculosis, but it doesn't have to be the same drugs for tuberculosis. After all, they are two different types of bacilli, so the medications will definitely be different."

According to Gao Zhendong's cousin, who was bragging, this thing is not effective in killing with a single drug and requires combination therapy, which is similar to the situation with pulmonary tuberculosis.

After listening, Lou Xiao'e thought it made a lot of sense. Her son Zhendong was really amazing.

"Hmm, let me think, what combination therapy would be best?"

Gao Zhendong suddenly said, "Streptomycin, let's try this."

Streptomycin is one of the combination drugs used to treat brucellosis. There are other combination drugs, but streptomycin is the most readily available for us now, since we can produce it ourselves and it is quite effective.

As for other drugs, they are not so easy to obtain. They are still under research and have not yet been marketed. For example, doxycycline, a derivative of streptomycin, is a semi-synthetic antibiotic. It is more effective, but it was only discovered in 60 and marketed in 67. It is not something we can rely on for a while.

"Streptomycin? Why? Is it because of the Streptococcus pneumoniae that you have a special fondness for streptomycin? Hahaha~~~~~~" Lou Xiao'e couldn't help but laugh when she thought of this. Zhendong's luck was truly extraordinary.

Gao Zhendong laughed and said, "That's partly true, but there's another reason. Since antibiotics like penicillin that attack cell walls aren't working, we might as well try something that can penetrate into cells, like streptomycin."

Gao Zhendong's reason was perfect. In fact, he wasn't just making excuses; he was simply stating the facts in the most appropriate way. Streptomycin can be used to treat brucellosis, and that's the principle behind it.

His explanation was very reasonable, and Lou Xiao'e's eyes lit up: "Yes, yes, you're so smart! How come I didn't think of that? Let's try streptomycin!"

Streptomycin, a drug with very obvious side effects, has not been completely eliminated, which is naturally due to its own merits. However, this side effect made Lou Xiao'e hesitate.

"However, streptomycin has many side effects, and its use in infants and young children carries the risk of deafness, so it is also restricted. When informing them, it is essential to emphasize that it cannot be used on infants, young children, or the elderly." With a complete plan and related support, it is okay for adults to try it, as the overall risk is controllable. However, it is more troublesome for infants, young children, and the elderly.

At this point, Lou Xiao'e turned to Gao Zhendong and said, half-jokingly and half-coquettishly, "No, no, it can't be used on infants. Do you have any other medicine? Give it all to me."

At this moment, in Gao Zhendong's eyes, Lou Xiao'e was a bit like Gao Cuilan, the Monkey King in "Journey to the West," beautiful with a touch of cleverness.

Well then, let's just say it. Since things are already like this, it won't make a difference if we don't talk about it.

"Then I can only think of compound sulfamethoxazole. I saw this drug when I was reading foreign journals. Its bactericidal mechanism is different from penicillin and streptomycin. It can be tried, and it does not have much toxic side effect on infants and young children."

Gao Zhendong had no intention of explaining the underlying principles, mainly because he couldn't explain them clearly. Fortunately, when it comes to treating illnesses, it doesn't matter if the principles aren't understood for the time being; as long as the illness is cured, that's what matters. In fact, if the illness is cured, it might even drive the research and development of the underlying principles.

Compound sulfamethoxazole + rifampin was the alternative treatment for brucellosis that my cousin Gao Zhendong mentioned at the time, used for special populations such as infants. Given my cousin's abilities, I figured it shouldn't cause any problems. Besides, it's relatively safe; if it doesn't cure the disease, at least it won't cause any serious problems.

Moreover, compound sulfamethoxazole has another advantage: this drug was introduced in 57, and at that time, the country of manufacture was John Bull. Compared to Citizens, John Bull's products were easier to obtain and could be purchased legitimately through legal channels.

John Bull is such a cunning guy; he'll choose sides, but he'll also sell his stuff.

Lou Xiao'e thought about it and realized that it really was true. She happily hugged Gao Zhendong and kissed him: "Haha, you've really had a hard time. I hope your luck is still so good."

"Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!" Without warning, Yan Zhi sat on the bed looking at his parents, threw away the blunted 25mm cannon shell he was playing with, and clapped his hands frantically.
-
In the guesthouse of the Health Commission, Comrade Guicheng, who had just finished a meeting, returned to his room.

This meeting was a special meeting convened by the Endemic Disease Prevention and Control Group of the National Health Commission, along with other colleagues.

However, aside from providing more suggestions on prevention and treatment, the only information provided was that the plan proposed by Lou Xiao'e to try using rifampicin for treatment was approved.

After all, this plan has a significant background, and everyone felt it was worth a try. However, there wasn't much further progress, and streptomycin wasn't mentioned either. This was mainly because streptomycin had been used before, but for brucellosis, monotherapy wasn't very effective, so there was no need to bring it up again after it had been tried.

This is normal. Although this disease is not as severe as echinococcosis or schistosomiasis, it is precisely one that is difficult to study clearly these days.

The guesthouse staff knocked on their door, opened it, and handed them an envelope: "Gentlemen, this is a printed copy of the mail addressed to you. Please check it."

Large guesthouses like those affiliated with ministries have already fully implemented document forwarding services for emails, faxes, and other documents. The sender only needs to send the email to the guesthouse's mailbox, indicating the room number or recipient, and the guesthouse will print and forward it on their behalf.

Although there are many restrictions on postal system and confidentiality, it still makes things convenient for many comrades who do not require confidentiality.

The two comrades opened the envelope, inside which was a thick stack of folded paper. Upon looking at the sender, they saw that it was from Comrade Lou Xiao'e, whom they had visited just a few days earlier.

Gao Zhendong made a suggestion, but Lou Xiao'e still needed to spend some time confirming whether there were any obvious problems and studying whether it was really theoretically appropriate. This took Lou Xiao'e some time.

As it turns out, Gao Zhendong's luck, while not necessarily good, was at least not bad; neither of the two plans had any obvious problems and were worth a try.

"Comrade Lou Xiao'e really cares about the people in our pastoral area. She has new research findings." The two laughed as they unfolded the folded printed paper.

"Combined medication? Rifampin + streptomycin for adults, and rifampin + compound sulfamethoxazole for special populations such as infants and young children?" As soon as they opened it, the two comrades were stunned. There were two plans, one with a discarded plan and the other with something completely new.

“Didn’t streptomycin prove to be less than effective? Why are we still using it?” Another comrade asked his colleague.

"Maybe it's because of combination therapy? Do you remember, her treatment plan for tuberculosis was combination therapy, which may be different from monotherapy."

"This new Nuomin..."

"Look, isn't there an explanation here?"

Lou Xiao'e explained the reasons for recommending the two experimental schemes and the principles that could be found very seriously. She made the best effort she could in discussing the matter, which made it much easier for the two comrades who had returned from the city to read.

"Hey, you know what, Comrade Lou Xiao'e's thinking is indeed much broader and more comprehensive than ours. She takes a different approach, but it's also logical and well-founded, and she's given full consideration to safety. Experts in Beijing are just different."

If Lou Xiao'e could hear others say she's an expert, her little nose would probably twitch to the sky. She'd finally caught up with our Zhendong a little bit.

“It seems reasonable. Even if it doesn’t work, it won’t cause any major problems. It’s worth a try,” another comrade said.

"Tomorrow we will submit this plan to the committee and then begin implementation." At least streptomycin is a commonly used drug, and rifampicin was approved at the meeting today, so there shouldn't be any problem with rifampicin + streptomycin.

In reality, as researchers studying this disease, they don't need to consult the Commission on everything. The reason they do this is to get the Commission's help in procuring rifampin and sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim. They don't have much of either of these drugs, especially sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim, which they get from Johns Hopkins, and there's practically none of it.

"Yeah, let's do it!"
-
In Beijing, at a newly built satellite data center, several comrades are studying a photograph.

“Something is amiss here in West Lushon. Please keep a close eye on things.”

"Yes, although it's not clear, it's obvious that there are an unusually large number of ships in this area."

"Could it be the fishing season, with more fishing boats? Or do they have some important folk customs or festivals?"

"It doesn't look like either of them. Although the specific model and shape are not clear, a ship that can be imaged in satellite photos is something that fishing boats and local daily vessels cannot compare to."

To be frank, it's unlikely that Lü Song could have assembled so many large ships on his own in a short time, even dilapidated and rusty ones would have been difficult. Therefore, the reasons behind this matter are worth pondering.

"Well, we can't confirm the reason from the photos, so it's not very meaningful for us to analyze it here. The objective fact is that this is an unusual signal. As for whether the reason is threatening or not, we need to report it. The rest will be verified by our colleagues in other departments."

It has happened frequently in the past that critical intelligence has been misjudged as worthless by lower-level personnel, resulting in the intelligence being buried in a sea of ​​junk information. Therefore, we attach great importance to this issue.

In a naval unit, the comrades who received this intelligence are now carefully examining this photograph.

"This must be a gathering of some kind of force, and judging from the size of the ship, the US must be behind it."

"They're already overwhelmed with problems in Jiaozhi, and they still have the energy to stir up trouble here?"

"Maybe they just want us to be caught off guard and unable to focus on anything else, so they don't have to pay too high a price."

"So what is their destination? West Reef? Middle Reef? South Reef? Or this large, isolated island near Middle Reef?"

"It's hard to say, hard to tell. West Reef and Middle Reef are very close to Tianya Island and Haijiao City, so theoretically they are unlikely to choose this place to cause trouble. As for that big island, although it is large, the conditions are not very good for the time being, and it is an isolated point. Moreover, it is relatively close to Lusong, so there is no need for them to directly clash with us. As for South Reef, there are people occupying the island there, so they have no reason to cause trouble."

"Yes, this place is relatively far from Nanjiao, and considering the current situation of Nanjiao, it is unlikely."

"However, judging from the current size of the fleet, apart from these few major ports, there is no room in other places. Due to this condition, distance is not the most important factor."

"Well, it's hard to say, but I don't lean towards South Reef."

“Our big island is just west of this port. I think that island is quite possible.”

"But the air and naval forces directly facing West Reef there are completely untenable. I think it's risky."

"..."

The comrades analyzed the situation and couldn't figure it out for the time being. The fact that there was no reason anywhere had become a possibility anywhere. But the only thing they didn't know was what the Citibank was trying to do.

"Notify the patrol aircraft unit of Tianya Island and Haijiao City to strengthen patrols and maintain surveillance of the outer sea channel of this port. Such a large object cannot hide once it leaves the port." Satellite revisits have intervals, and the real daily surveillance still depends on the maritime patrol aircraft unit of Haijiao City.

Since it's difficult to determine their purpose and objectives for the time being, we might as well start monitoring them. Although this port is more than 800 kilometers away from Cape City, this distance is nothing for the Be-6 patrol aircraft. Considering that the speed of ships going out to sea is limited, they can't travel very far in an hour. Therefore, maintaining surveillance on the whereabouts of ships leaving this port is not a big problem for the Be-6.

The only problem is that it's too close, and the Be-6's self-defense is somewhat lax, but the fighter squadron stationed at West Reef Jiuxing Island makes up for this.

On Jiuxing Island, the joint command post, which had received the mission, looked at the map and was somewhat puzzled.

"This task is easy to complete, but guarding against thieves for a thousand days is not a solution."

"We need to change our thinking. Before liberation, it was a pure war era where if you didn't agree, you just fought. Now it's different. Long-term patrols, surveillance, and expulsion missions that don't seem to involve any incidents will replace combat as our daily work."

"Haha, you have a point. Times have changed, so have the missions. By the way, how are those two large ships doing with their training?"

Although these two large ships do not belong to the naval and air forces of Jiuxing Island, they are currently training here, so we still need to pay attention to them.

"Very good. According to reports from the missile gunners of several escort boats, their conversion training is progressing very quickly, and they should already be ready for target practice. After all, they are familiar with both ships, and the modifications are only to some electronic equipment and weaponry, so the speed is quite fast."

(End of this chapter)