Objective MR microscopy technique was used to study the visualization of senile plaque deposition in brains of the Alzheimer disease(AD)transgenic mice.Methods Two transgenic mice and 2 wild type mice at the age of 17 months were scanned in vivo using T_2 weighted image.After MR imaging,the brains were cut serially and immunostained according to the orthogonal pilot images.MR T_2 weighted images and immunohistological images of the senile plaque were observed and matched.Results The MR images showed that some black spots were visible in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex of the AD transgenic mice and some spots were consistent with the senile plaques on immunohistological sections.There were no spots in the MR images and the immunohistological sections of the wild type mice.Conclusion It is possible that MR microscopy can be used to detect the deposition of the senile plaque and diagnose AD specifically.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the clinical efficiency of circumferential ablation around orifice of pulmonary vein by radiofrequency (RF) energy in the cure of chronic atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with rheumatic valvular disease.

METHODSRadiofrequency catheter ablation was performed in 20 patients with rheumatic valvular disease and chronic AF who underwent heart valve surgery. The ablation temperature was 50 - 60 degrees C and the linear RF ablations were performed encircling the four openings of pulmonary veins and connecting the posterior mitral annulus with the probe made by ourselves especially for this ablative procedure. And amiodarone was given from the third day before the surgery and lasted for 3 months thereafter. Twenty patients with chronic AF who underwent valvular surgery but refused RF ablation were considered as the control group.

RESULTSSinus rhythm (SR) restored in 19 patients either spontaneously or after intraoperative direct current cardioversion, immediately after the operation, as compared with 16 patients in the control group. During the follow-up (24 +/- 3) months, 16 of 20 patients (80%) remained in sinus rhythm in patients received ablation, but in control group, SR was presented in only 7 of 20 patients (35%).

CONCLUSIONSCircumferential ablation around orifice of pulmonary vein by RF energy is safe and effective in restoration and maintenance of SR in patients with rheumatic valvular disease and chronic AF.

Adult ; Aged ; Amiodarone ; therapeutic use ; Anti-Arrhythmia Agents ; therapeutic use ; Atrial Fibrillation ; etiology ; therapy ; Catheter Ablation ; Chronic Disease ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pulmonary Veins ; surgery ; Rheumatic Heart Disease ; complications

BACKGROUNDStaphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) remains as an important microbial pathogen resulting in community and nosocomial acquired infections with significant morbidity and mortality. Few reports for S. aureus in lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) have been documented. The aim of this study was to explore the molecular epidemiology of S. aureus in LRTIs in China.

METHODSA multicenter study of the molecular epidemiology of S. aureus in LRTIs was conducted in 21 hospitals in Beijing, Shanghai and twelve other provinces from November 2007 to February 2009. All the collected S. aureus strains were classified as minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), mecA gene, virulence genes Panton-Valentine Leukocidin (PVL) and γ-hemolysin (hlg), staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) type, agr type, and Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST).

RESULTSTotally, nine methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) and 29 methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strains were isolated after culture from a total of 2829 sputums or bronchoalveolar lavages. The majority of MRSA strains (22/29) had a MIC value of ≥ 512 µg/ml for cefoxitin. The mecA gene acting as the conservative gene was carried by all MRSA strains. PVL genes were detected in only one S. aureus strain (2.63%, 1/38). The hlg gene was detected in almost the all S. aureus (100% in MSSA and 96.56% in MRSA strains). About 75.86% of MRSA strains carried SCCmec III. Agr type 1 was predominant (78.95%) among the identified three agr types (agr types 1, 2, and 3). Totally, ten sequence type (ST) of S. aureus strains were detected. A new sequence type (ST1445) was found besides confirming ST239 as the major sequence type (60.53%). A dendrogram generated from our own MLST database showed all the bootstrap values ≤ 50%.

CONCLUSIONOur preliminary epidemiology data show SCCmec III, ST239 and agr type 1 of S. aureus as the predominant strains in LRTIs in Mainland of China.

Alleles ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; therapeutic use ; China ; epidemiology ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; genetics ; Humans ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Prospective Studies ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; epidemiology ; Staphylococcal Infections ; epidemiology ; Staphylococcus aureus ; drug effects ; pathogenicity

BACKGROUNDAcinetobacter baumanii (A. baumanii ) remains an important microbial pathogen resulting in nosocomial acquired infections with significant morbidity and mortality. The mechanism by which nosocomial bacteria, like A. baumanii, attain multidrug resistance to antibiotics is of considerable interest. The aim in this study was to investigate the spread status of antibiotic resistance genes, such as multiple β-lactamase genes and aminoglycoside-modifying enzyme genes, from A. baumanii strains isolated from patients with lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs).

METHODSTwo thousand six hundred and ninety-eight sputum or the bronchoalveolar lavage samples from inpatients with LRTIs were collected in 21 hospitals in the mainland of China from November 2007 to February 2009. All samples were routinely inoculated. The isolated bacterial strains and their susceptibility were analyzed via VITEK-2 expert system. Several kinds of antibiotic resistant genes were further differentiated via polymerase chain reaction and sequencing methods.

RESULTSTotally, 39 A. baumanii strains were isolated from 2698 sputum or bronchoalveolar lavage samples. There was not only a high resistant rate of the isolated A. baumanii strains to ampicillin and first- and second-generation cephalosporins (94.87%, 100% and 97.44%, respectively), but also to the third-generation cephalosporins (ceftriaxone at 92.31%, ceftazidine at 51.28%) and imipenem (43.59%) as well. The lowest antibiotic resistance rate of 20.51% was found to amikacin. The OXA-23 gene was identified in 17 strains of A. baumanii, and the AmpC gene in 23 strains. The TEM-1 gene was carried in 15 strains. PER-1 and SHV-2 genes were detected in two different strains. Aminoglycoside-modifying enzyme gene aac-3-Ia was found in 23 strains, and the aac-6'-Ib gene in 19 strains. aac-3-Ia and aac-6'-Ib genes hibernated in three A. baumanii strains that showed no drug-resistant phenotype.

CONCLUSIONSA. baumanii can carry multiple drug-resistant genes at the same time and result in multi-drug resistance. Aminoglycoside-modifying enzyme genes could be hibernating in aminoglycoside sensitive strains without expressing their phenotype.

Acinetobacter ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathogenicity ; Acinetobacter Infections ; microbiology ; Bacterial Proteins ; genetics ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; microbiology ; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial ; genetics ; Humans ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; microbiology ; Sputum ; microbiology

Apoptosis ; Cell Differentiation ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Humans ; Leukemia, Promyelocytic, Acute ; RNA, Long Noncoding ; Tretinoin

Objective: To analyze and compare therapy responses, outcomes, and incidence of severe hematologic adverse events of flumatinib and imatinib in patients newly diagnosed with chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) . Methods: Data of patients with chronic phase CML diagnosed between January 2006 and November 2022 from 76 centers, aged ≥18 years, and received initial flumatinib or imatinib therapy within 6 months after diagnosis in China were retrospectively interrogated. Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was performed to reduce the bias of the initial TKI selection, and the therapy responses and outcomes of patients receiving initial flumatinib or imatinib therapy were compared. Results: A total of 4 833 adult patients with CML receiving initial imatinib (n=4 380) or flumatinib (n=453) therapy were included in the study. In the imatinib cohort, the median follow-up time was 54 [interquartile range (IQR), 31-85] months, and the 7-year cumulative incidences of CCyR, MMR, MR(4), and MR(4.5) were 95.2%, 88.4%, 78.3%, and 63.0%, respectively. The 7-year FFS, PFS, and OS rates were 71.8%, 93.0%, and 96.9%, respectively. With the median follow-up of 18 (IQR, 13-25) months in the flumatinib cohort, the 2-year cumulative incidences of CCyR, MMR, MR(4), and MR(4.5) were 95.4%, 86.5%, 58.4%, and 46.6%, respectively. The 2-year FFS, PFS, and OS rates were 80.1%, 95.0%, and 99.5%, respectively. The PSM analysis indicated that patients receiving initial flumatinib therapy had significantly higher cumulative incidences of CCyR, MMR, MR(4), and MR(4.5) and higher probabilities of FFS than those receiving the initial imatinib therapy (all P<0.001), whereas the PFS (P=0.230) and OS (P=0.268) were comparable between the two cohorts. The incidence of severe hematologic adverse events (grade≥Ⅲ) was comparable in the two cohorts. Conclusion: Patients receiving initial flumatinib therapy had higher cumulative incidences of therapy responses and higher probability of FFS than those receiving initial imatinib therapy, whereas the incidence of severe hematologic adverse events was comparable between the two cohorts.
Adult ; Humans ; Adolescent ; Imatinib Mesylate/adverse effects* ; Incidence ; Antineoplastic Agents/adverse effects* ; Retrospective Studies ; Pyrimidines/adverse effects* ; Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive/drug therapy* ; Treatment Outcome ; Benzamides/adverse effects* ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Chronic-Phase/drug therapy* ; Aminopyridines/therapeutic use* ; Protein Kinase Inhibitors/therapeutic use*