A prospective study on vulvovaginal candidiasis: multicentre molecular epidemiology of pathogenic yeasts in China

BACKGROUND

Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is frequent in women of reproductive age, but very limited data are available on the epidemiology in cases of VVC in China.

OBJECTIVES

The current study has been conducted to reveal the prevalence, species distribution of yeast causing VVC and molecular genetics of Candida albicans in China.

METHODS

Vaginal swabs were collected from 543 VVC outpatients recruited in 12 hospitals in China between September 2017 and March 2018. They were preliminarily incubated on Sabouraud dextrose agar and then positive subjects of which were then transmitted to our institute for further identification. CHROMagar™ was used to isolate Candida species, and all isolates were finally identified by DNA sequencing. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) was used to analyse phylogenetic relationships of the various C. albicans isolates.

RESULTS

Eleven different yeast species were identified in 543 isolates, among which C. albicans (84.7%) was the most frequent, followed by C. glabrata (8.7%). We obtained 117 unique diploid sequence types from 451 clinical C. albicans isolates and 92 isolates (20.4%) belonged to a New Clade. All the strains appearing in the New Clade were from northern China and they were isolated from non-recurrent VVC.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that C. albicans are still the main cause of VVC in China and the majority of C. albicans isolates belongs to Clade 1 with DST 79 and DST 45 being two most common. Moreover, the New Clade revealed in our study seems to be specific to northern China.

Population structure and genetic diversity of four Henan pig populations

To investigate the population structure and genetic diversity of Henan indigenous pig breeds, samples from a total of 78 pigs of 11 breeds were collected, including four pig populations from Henan Province, three Western commercial breeds, three Chinese native pig breeds from other provinces and one Asian wild boar. The genotyping datasets were obtained by genotyping-by-sequencing technology. We found a high degree of polymorphism and rapid linkage disequilibrium decay in Henan pigs. A neighbor-joining tree, principal component analysis and structure analysis revealed that the Huainan and Erhualian pigs were clustered together and that the Queshan black pigs were clearly grouped together but that the Nanyang and Yuxi pigs were extensively admixed with Western pigs. In addition, heterozygosity values might indicate that Henan indigenous pigs, especially the Queshan black and Huainan pigs, were subjected to little selection during domestication. The results presented here indicate that Henan pig breeds were admixed from Western breeds, especially Nanyang and Yuxi pigs. Therefore, establishment of purification and rejuvenation systems to implement conservation strategies is urgent. In addition, it is also necessary to accelerate genetic resources improvement and utilization using modern breeding technologies, such as genomic selection and genome-wide association studies.

Phylogeny of dermatophytes with genomic character evaluation of clinically distinct Trichophyton rubrum and T. violaceum

Trichophyton rubrum and T. violaceum are prevalent agents of human dermatophyte infections, the former being found on glabrous skin and nail, while the latter is confined to the scalp. The two species are phenotypically different but are highly similar phylogenetically. The taxonomy of dermatophytes is currently being reconsidered on the basis of molecular phylogeny. Molecular species definitions do not always coincide with existing concepts which are guided by ecological and clinical principles. In this article, we aim to bring phylogenetic and ecological data together in an attempt to develop new species concepts for anthropophilic dermatophytes. Focus is on the T. rubrum complex with analysis of rDNA ITS supplemented with LSU, TUB2, TEF3 and ribosomal protein L10 gene sequences. In order to explore genomic differences between T. rubrum and T. violaceum, one representative for both species was whole genome sequenced. Draft sequences were compared with currently available dermatophyte genomes. Potential virulence factors of adhesins and secreted proteases were predicted and compared phylogenetically. General phylogeny showed clear gaps between geophilic species of Arthroderma, but multilocus distances between species were often very small in the derived anthropophilic and zoophilic genus Trichophyton. Significant genome conservation between T. rubrum and T. violaceum was observed, with a high similarity at the nucleic acid level of 99.38 % identity. Trichophyton violaceum contains more paralogs than T. rubrum. About 30 adhesion genes were predicted among dermatophytes. Seventeen adhesins were common between T. rubrum and T. violaceum, while four were specific for the former and eight for the latter. Phylogenetic analysis of secreted proteases reveals considerable expansion and conservation among the analyzed species. Multilocus phylogeny and genome comparison of T. rubrum and T. violaceum underlined their close affinity. The possibility that they represent a single species exhibiting different phenotypes due to different localizations on the human body is discussed.

Effects of zoledronic acid on bone fusion in osteoporotic patients after lumbar fusion

Treatment with zoledronic acid in osteoporotic patients with spinal fusion shortens the duration of time to fusion, improves the fusion rate, prevents the subsequent adjacent vertebral compression fractures, improves the clinical outcomes, and prevents immobilization-induced bone loss in the hip.

INTRODUCTION

The objective of the study was to explore the effects of zoledronic acid on the healing process in osteoporotic patients following spinal fusion in a randomized, placebo-controlled, and triple-blinded study.

METHODS

Seventy-nine osteoporotic patients with single-level degenerative spondylolisthesis were randomly assigned to receive either zoledronic acid infusion (zoledronic acid group) or saline infusion (controls) after spinal fusion. Functional radiography and CT scans were used to evaluate fusion status. Bone formation was graded into three categories: Grade A (bridging bone bonding with adjacent vertebral bodies), Grade B (bridging bone bonding with either superior or inferior vertebral body), or Grade C (incomplete bony bridging). A solid fusion was defined as less than 5° of angular motion with Grade A or B bone formation. Adjacent vertebral compression fractures (VCF) were assessed on MRI at 12 months after surgery. Serum level of carboxy terminal cross-linked telopeptide of type I collagen (β-CTX) and amino-terminal propeptide of type I procollagen (PINP) was measured. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured by DXA. Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) was used to assess the clinical outcomes.

RESULTS

Grade A or B bridging bone was more frequently observed in zoledronic acid group at 3, 6, and 9 months post-operation compared to the control group (p < 0.05). At 12 -months post-operation, bridging bone and solid fusion were not significantly different between groups. No patients in zoledronic acid group showed aVCF, whereas six patients (17 %) in the control group did (p < 0.05). Both β-CTX and PINP were suppressed in zoledronic acid group. BMD at the femoral neck decreased rapidly and did not return to the preoperative level in the controls at 3 (-1.4 %), 6 (-2.5 %), and 12 (-0.8 %) months after surgery. Zoledronic acid prevented this immobilization-induced bone loss and increased BMD. ODI showed the improved clinical outcomes compared with controls at 9 and 12 months post-surgery.

CONCLUSION

Treatment with zoledronic acid in osteoporotic patients with spinal fusion shortens the time to fusion, improves the fusion rate, prevents subsequent aVCFs, and improves clinical outcomes.

Rapid large-scale culturing of microencapsulated hepatocytes: a promising approach for cell-based hepatic support

INTRODUCTION

The efficacy of any bioartificial liver device requires both rapid production and proper bioactivity of the cells for the bioreactor. The goal of this study was to observe the effect of spinner speed and cell density on the proliferation of microencapsulated immortalized human hepatocytes (HepLL) and human hepatoma (HepG2) cells.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Alginate-chitosan microcapsulated HepG2 and HepLL cells were randomly divided into 2 groups, and each group was further divided into 8 subgroups according to embedded cell density and spinner speed. The growth, metabolism, and functions of the encapsulated cells in each group were evaluated.

RESULTS

In each group, the cell number, ammonium removal, albumin synthesis, and diazepam clearance increased significantly with the spinner speed, whereas embedded cell density had no impact. Albumin synthesis, removal of ammonium, and diazepam clearance were significantly higher in the microencapsulated HepLL groups than in HepG2 cells at any time point, without any significant difference in cell numbers.

CONCLUSIONS

Spinner culture significantly promoted microencapsulated HepLL and HepG2 cell bioactivity. Wrapped cells had optimal function on day 10 in rolling culture groups. These data show that HepLL cells would be a promising candidate for cell-based liver support therapy.

Visible and near-infrared imaging spectrometer and its preliminary results from the Chang'E 3 project

In order to conduct lunar surface mineral composition studies and content analysis, the Visible and Near-infrared Imaging Spectrometer (VNIS), one of the scientific payloads of the Chang'E 3 Yutu rover, has been developed to detect lunar surface objects and to obtain their reflectance spectra and geometric images. This is achieved with a 45° visual angle and at a height of 0.69 m. VNIS is equipped with a lunar surface calibration function, and the spectral range is 0.45-2.40 μm with a spectral resolution of 2-12 nm. It is capable of synchronously acquiring the full spectrum of lunar surface objects and in situ calibration. Here, we describe the VNIS and explain the preliminary results of the lunar surface exploration and calibration, which provides valuable information for scientific data processing and applications.

Propofol protects against hydrogen peroxide-induced apoptosis in cardiac H9c2 cells is associated with the NF-κB activation and PUMA expression

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Treatment with propofol has been found to attenuate oxidative stress injury in rat cardiac cells through the inhibition of programmed cell death. However, the underlying mechanism of this beneficial effect is not clear. Previous studies showed NF-κB (NF-κB) could be activated after oxidative stress in cardiac cells, and p53 up-regulated modulator of apoptosis (PUMA) is a direct target of NF-κB and mediates oxidative stress -induced apoptosis. Here, we report that propofol protects cardiac H9c2 cells from hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced apoptosis by preventing the activation of NF-κB and PUMA upregulation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We first determined NF-κB activity, PUMA expression, proliferation and apoptosis after hydrogen peroxide treatment of the H9c2 cell line using electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA), western blot assay, MTT and annexin V/PI assay. We, then, examined the effect of inhibition of NF-κB activity on the PUMA expression and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced apoptosis.We next examined the effect of inhibition of PUMA on hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced apoptosis. In the end, we examined the effect of propofol pretreatment on NF-κB activity, PUMA expression and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced apoptosis.

RESULTS

We show that H2O2 treatment led to increases in NF-κB activity, PUMA protein levels in cardiac H9c2 cells. The induction of PUMA was mediated by the p65 component of NF-κB. The apoptotic effect of PUMA induction by H2O2 was in an NF-κB-dependent manner. We, further, demonstrate that pretreatment with propofol significantly decreased H2O2-induced apoptosis. Furthermore, propofol inhibits H2O2 induced NF-κB activity and subsequent PUMA expression.

CONCLUSIONS

our results reveal a new mechanism by which propofol inhibits H2O2-induced injury in cardiac H9c2 cells via decreasing NF-κB activation and PUMA expression. This inhibition improves cell survival, which provides a novel explanation for the pleiotropic effects of propofol that benefit the cardiac cells.

Effect of triptolide on malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumours in vitro and in vivo

OBJECTIVE

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumours (MPNSTs) are invasive, hard-to-treat, soft tissue sarcomas. In this study, in vitro and in vivo effects of triptolide were investigated using human MPNST cell lines.

METHODS

Cultured STS-26T and ST88-14 cells were treated with 0-100 ng/ml triptolide (for determination of cell proliferation by sulphorhodamine B assay), with 12.5 ng/ml or 25 ng/ml triptolide (for analysis of caspase activity, effects on apoptotic pathway intermediates [by Western blots and flow cytometry], and for measurement of vascular endothelial growth factor [VEGF] and epidermal growth factor receptor [EGFR] levels by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay). A xenograft model was established by injection of STS-26T cells into nude mice, and the effects of 250 μg/kg triptolide on tumour growth and apoptosis were compared with controls.

RESULTS

Triptolide significantly inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in vitro, through activation of caspases, in a dose- and time-dependent manner; VEGF and EGFR levels were suppressed. In vivo, triptolide inhibited the growth of STS-26T xenografts and reduced apoptosis.

CONCLUSION

Triptolide may have a therapeutic benefit in MPNST treatment.

Correlation of C-reactive protein level and obesity in Chinese adults and children: a meta-analysis

This meta-analysis evaluated the correlations between C-reactive protein (CRP) and obesity in Chinese adults and children. We searched three Chinese databases [Wanfang, WEIPU, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI)] in addition to PubMed. The search was restricted to only Chinese studies published online before January 9, 2013. Data from 28 articles were independently abstracted by two reviewers. The articles' characteristics were abstracted as follows: 1) first author name; 2) year of publication; 3) study population; 4) sample size; 5) sex, age, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and CRP level of the study population; 6) Pearson correlation coefficients, Spearman correlation coefficients, or odds ratios between CRP level and obesity. The metaanalysis was conducted to pool the Pearson correlation coefficients using a random-effects model. The pooled Pearson correlation coefficient between CRP and BMI was 0.45 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.33-0.56] in Chinese adults and 0.46 (95% CI: 0.31-0.62) in Chinese children, and the pooled Pearson correlation coefficient was 0.32 (95% CI: 0.24-0.40) in the general Chinese population and 0.53 (95% CI: 0.42-0.64) in the obese Chinese population. Significant correlation was thus found between CRP and obesity in Chinese adults and children.

Quantification of hepatitis B surface antigen and E antigen: correlation between Elecsys and architect assays

Quantification of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) and their change model during treatment are emerging as a useful tool for assessing the outcome of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and predicting the efficacy of antiviral therapy. The aim of this study was to compare the performance of the Elecsys and Architect assays for HBsAg and HBeAg quantification. Quantification of HBsAg and HBeAg, determined by these two assays, were assessed in 1292 sera from patients with chronic hepatitis B(CHB). HBeAg quantification in serum was performed by calibrating the results through HBeAg Paul-Ehrlich international (PEI) reference standard. The HBV genotype was determined by direct sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. Of 1292 samples, the distribution of genotype was 514 (39.78%) genotype B, 776 (60.06%) genotype C, 2 (0.16%) genotype D. The results of HBsAg and HBeAg quantification between the Architect and Elecsys assays were significantly correlated (HBsAg: r = 0.939; HBeAg: r = 0.987), independent of HBV genotype and treatment phase. The mean differences between the two methods (the log10 [Elecsys] - the log10 [Architect]) were 0.075 log10  IU/mL and -0.149 log10 PE IU/mL in quantifying HBsAg and HBeAg, respectively. This study demonstrates a high correlation between the Elecsys and the Architect assays in quantifying HBsAg and HBeAg, regardless of HBV genotype. Both the two assays can be used to monitor the HBsAg and HBeAg levels in patients with chronic hepatitis B.

Variable Forgetting in Reasoning about Knowledge

In this paper, we investigate knowledge reasoning within a simple framework called knowledge structure. We use variable forgetting as a basic operation for one agent to reason about its own or other agents\' knowledge. In our framework, two notions namely agents\' observable variables and the weakest sufficient condition play important roles in knowledge reasoning. Given a background knowledge base and a set of observable variables for each agent, we show that the notion of an agent knowing a formula can be defined as a weakest sufficient condition of the formula under background knowledge base. Moreover, we show how to capture the notion of common knowledge by using a generalized notion of weakest sufficient condition. Also, we show that public announcement operator can be conveniently dealt with via our notion of knowledge structure. Further, we explore the computational complexity of the problem whether an epistemic formula is realized in a knowledge structure. In the general case, this problem is PSPACE-hard; however, for some interesting subcases, it can be reduced to co-NP. Finally, we discuss possible applications of our framework in some interesting domains such as the automated analysis of the well-known muddy children puzzle and the verification of the revised Needham-Schroeder protocol. We believe that there are many scenarios where the natural presentation of the available information about knowledge is under the form of a knowledge structure. What makes it valuable compared with the corresponding multi-agent S5 Kripke structure is that it can be much more succinct.

Protothecosis successfully treated with amikacin combined with tetracyclines. Fallbericht. Protothecose erfolgreich mit Amikacin plus Tetracyclinen behandelt

Summary We report a case of protothecosis in an 18-year-old female student caused by Prototheca zopfii successfully treated with amikacin combined with tetracyclines. Zusammenfassung Es wird über eine Protothecose, verursacht durch Prototheca zopfii, bei einer 18-jährigen Studentin berichtet, die erfolgreich mit Amikacin in Kombination mit Tetracyclinen behandelt wurde.