Members of genus Acanthamoeba are widely distributed in the environment. Some are pathogenic and cause keratitis and fatal granulomatous amoebic encephalitis. In this study, we isolated an Acanthamoeba CJW/W1 strain from tap water in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, China. Its 18S rDNA was sequenced and a phylogenetic tree was constructed. The isolated cysts belonged to morphologic group II. Comparison of 18S rDNA sequences of CJW/W1 strain and other isolates showed high similarity (99.7%) to a clinical isolate Asp, KA/E28. A phylogeny analysis confirmed this isolate belonged to the pathogenic genotype T4, the most common strain associated with Acanthamoeba-related diseases. This is the first report of an Acanthamoeba strain isolated from tap water in Wuxi, China. Acanthamoeba could be a public health threat to the contact lens wearers and, therefore, its prevalence should be monitored.
Acanthamoeba ; China ; DNA, Ribosomal ; Encephalitis ; Genotype ; Keratitis ; Phylogeny ; Prevalence ; Public Health ; Trees ; Viperidae ; Water

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of galvanic vestibular stimulation on stroke patients with lateropulsion. MethodsFrom February to October, 2023, 30 stroke patients with lateropulsion in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University were divided into control group (n = 15) and experimental group (n = 15) randomly. The control group received routine rehabilitation and sham galvanic vestibular stimulation, and the experimental group received routine rehabilitation and true galvanic vestibular stimulation, for two weeks. They were assessed with Scale for Contraversive Pushing (SCP), subjective visual vertical (SVV), Line Cancellation Test (LCT), Star Cancellation Test (SCT), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Holden Functional Ambulation Category (FAC) and Barthel Index (BI) before and after treatment. ResultsAll the indexes improved in both groups after intervention (|t| > 2.461, Z > 3.000, P < 0.05), except the SVV orientation, SVV certainty and SCT in the control group; while the SCP, SVV certainty, LCT and FAC were better in the experimental group than in the control group (|t| > 2.189, Z = -2.862, P < 0.05), and the differences before and after intervention were better in the experimental group than in the control group (|t| > 2.382, P < 0.05), except LCT. SCP was correlated with SVV orientation, SVV certainty, SCT, BBS, BI and FAC (|r| > 0.381, P < 0.05). ConclusionGalvanic vestibular stimulation can improve the lateropulsion, balance, walking function and activities of daily living in stroke patients, which may be related to improvement for spatial cognitive function, especially vertical perception.

Objective To investigate the effect of early thoracic paracentesis drainage for pleural effusion with a small or moderate volume on acute lung injury in patients with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 107 patients with SAP who were admitted to The General Hospital of Western Theater Command from January 2015 to December 2021, and according to whether thoracic paracentesis drainage was performed within the first three days after admission, the patients were divided into thoracic paracentesis drainage group (TPD group with 51 patients) and non-thoracic paracentesis drainage group (N-TPD group with 56 patients).The two groups were compared in terms of laboratory markers and clinical outcome on days 5 and 10 after admission.The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups; the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. Results Compared with the N-TPD group, the TPD group had a significantly shorter length of stay in the intensive care unit, a significantly shorter length of hospital stay, and significantly lower hospital costs (all P < 0.05), while there were no significant differences between the TPD group and the N-TPD group in mortality rate (9.8% vs 14.3%, χ 2 =0.502, P =0.478) and the incidence rate of sepsis (29.4% vs 44.6%, χ 2 =2.645, P =0.104).The TPD group had a significant reduction in the incidence rate of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)( χ 2 =6.038, P =0.043), as well as a significantly lower incidence rate of moderate ARDS than the N-TPD group (7.8% vs 21.4%, χ 2 =3.874, P =0.049).Compared with the N-TPD group, the TPD group had a significantly lower rate of use of mechanical ventilation (35.3% vs 57.2%, χ 2 =6.735, P =0.034) and a significantly lower proportion of patients receiving invasive mechanical ventilation (9.8% vs 26.8%, χ 2 =5.065, P =0.024).Compared with the N-TPD group, the TPD group had a significantly lower incidence rate of pulmonary infection (23.5% vs 42.9%, χ 2 =4.466, P =0.035) and a significantly shorter duration of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (11.2±5.0 days vs 16.8±4.7 days, t =5.949, P < 0.001).Compared with the N-TPD group, the TPD group had significantly better laboratory markers (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, interleukin-1, interleukin-6, interleukin-8, tumor necrosis factor-α, arterial partial pressure of oxygen, oxygen saturation, and oxygenation index) and incidence rate of respiratory failure on days 5 and 10 after admission (all P < 0.05).On day 10 after admission, the TPD group had significantly better APACHE Ⅱ score and modified Mashall score than the N-TPD group (both P < 0.05). Conclusion For SAP patients with a small or moderate volume of pleural effusion, early thoracic paracentesis drainage can effectively improve acute lung injury, alleviate systemic inflammatory response, shorten the length of hospital stay, and reduce hospital costs.

Acute pancreatitis-associated ascites fluid (PAAF) is a common complication in patients with acute pancreatitis (AP) and is closely associated with the severity of AP, the development of local and systemic complications, and prognosis. PAAF may originate from the leakage of abdominal blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, and pancreatic duct. Recent studies have found that early removal of PAAF by abdominal paracentesis drainage can help to reduce systemic inflammation and alleviate pancreatitis-associated organ injury, thereby improving the conditions of patients with severe AP and reducing mortality. However, it is still not completely clear how PAAF aggravates systemic inflammatory response, participates in pancreatic injury and damage of distal organs, and leads to the aggravation of disease conditions in patients with AP. Therefore, this article gives an overview of PAAF and summarizes related studies in recent years, so as to provide directions for exploring the pathophysiological process and treatment of AP.

Objective To systematically analyze the World Health Organization Rehabilitation Competency Framework (RCF) theoretical framework, methodology and its application in the field of rehabilitation.Methods We systematically analyzed RCF conceptual framework and key characteristics, and discussed how to apply the RCF in the fields of human resource planning, education program and curriculum system, and vocational competency standards and certification criteria for rehabilitation human resources.Results The RCF encompasses five domains, naming practice, professionalism, learning and development, management and leadership, and research. Rehabilitation professionals' performance is the result of the interaction of their core values and beliefs, competencies, activities, knowledge, and skills. The RCF can be used to plan rehabilitation human resources, establish competency-based rehabilitation education programs and curriculum systems, and develop competency certification standards and licensure accreditation standards.Conclusion This study analyzed background, content and implementation framework of RCF, and systematically discussed the theories and methods related to how to use the RCF to construct national rehabilitation human resources development plans, develop rehabilitation education programs and curriculum systems based on the RCF, and establish certification and assessment standards for rehabilitation human resources.