Objective To investigate whether Berberine can inhibit the invasion of Streptococcus pueum oniae ( S.pn) to A549 cells in vitro. Methods A549 cells were pretreated with the different concentrations of Berberine and incubated together with S.pn. A549 cells were lysed with 0.025%Triton X-100.Diluted lysate was streaked on TSAB plate and incubated overnight. The colonies on the plate were counted. Results The counts on the plates were 52 ± 21,29 ± 11,13 ± 10,0,0 per well when the concentration of Berberine was 0,25,50,100,200μg/mL, respectively. No invasion was observed when the concentration of Berberine was 100 μg/mL. Conclusion Berberine can inhibit the invasion of S.pn to A549 cells in dose-dependent maner in vitro.

Objective To investigate whether S. pn can provoke filamentous actin (F-actin) rearrangements in vitro , which will further lead to S. pn invasion of A549 and the relationship between PLC signaling molecule and. the invasion events. Methods Labelled F-actin with FITC-phalloidin, we observed F-actin rearrangements by S. pn adhesion of type Ⅱ pneumocytes ( A549). S. pn invasion of A549 cells was determined by pretreating A549 cells with Cytochalasin D . To investigate whether F-actin rearrangements can be blocked by PLC inhibitor, A549 cells were pretreated with PLC inhibitors U73122. Results Intact S. pn can promote F-actin rearrangements. Cytochalasin D is able to prevent S. pn invasion of A549 cells. Inhibitors of PLC signal transduction molecules block F-actin rearrangements dose dependently. Conclusion S. pn can provoke F-actin rearrangements through PLC signaling pathways, which will further lead to S. pn invasion of A549 cells.

Objective To explore the effect of a novel colloidal gold immunochromatographic test strip for detection of group B streptococci (GBS).Methods A total of 202 cases of swab of vagina or neck of uterus were collected,and they were detec-ted by novel strip and control strip to evaluate their clinical applications.Results Sensitivity of novel strip was about 105 CFU/ml and the detection time was about 5 to 8 minutes,and it showed better sensitivity and shorter detection time com-pared with control strip.In the 202 cases of clinical samples,the detection results of 197 cases were in consistent with the control strip,however,the detection results of 5 cases were not in consistent.The positive coincidence rate and negative coin-cidence rate were 97.5% and 97.54% respectively,and the total coincidence rate and Kappa value were 97.52% and 0.948 respectively.The consistency test showed no significant difference between this strip and control strip.Conclusion This method was a effective technology for diagnosing of infection caused by GBS,and had high value in clinical application.

We developed a microfluidic device to integrate sample introduction, bacteria culturing and results reading. The identification of multiple bacteria was achieved by combining the spatial resolution of the arrayed bacteria culture chambers and the color resolution benefited from the bacteria specific chromogenic media. A set of 4 common pathogenic bacteria responsible for urinary tract infection were used as a model to test the microfluidic assay. Our results showed that the bacteria identification assay can be completed in 15 h, with a limit of detection (LOD) of bacteria density down to 10 cfu / mL. Clinical sample testing using the microchip approach showed a coincidence rate of 96. 3% as compared with the conventional method. The developed microfluidic approach is simple and rapid, thus hold the potential to serve as a powerful tool for detection of multiple bacteria.

From the view-point of a front-line research team in clinical laboratory medicine , the advantages of microfluidic technology and its prospect in the field of in vitro diagnosis ( IVD) were reviewed in this paper. This paper introduces the application of microfluidics in molecular diagnosis , immune detection and microbial pathogen testing , showing the value of this technology in meeting challenges posed by clinical laboratory medicine .Opportunities and challenges of microfluidic IVD technology under the new situation were also discussed.The authors believe this technology will play a great role in promoting the improvement of clinical laboratory technology .