Objective To identify the most common fungal pathogens and their antifungal drug resistance in autoimmune disease (AD) patients with fungal infection , for guiding the rational use of antifungal therapy. Methods The identification were analyzed by ATB Expression automatic microbiology analytical instrument system. The antifungal susceptibility test was done by ATB FUNGUS strip. Results Of 428 patients studied,36(8.4%) had fungal infections. The most commonly infective sites were lower respiratory tract(53.5%),urinary tract(20.9%), intestinal tract(11.6%). A total of 43 fungi strains were isolated, the most common fungi were Candida albicans (65.1%), Candida glabrata (11.6%), Candida tropicalis (7.0%),and Candida parapsilosis (4.7%).Resistance rates of Candida albicans against ketoconazole, miconazole and econazole were 35. 7% , 46.4% and 32.1% , while resistance rates to fluconazole, amphotericin B, nystain and flucytosine were much lower, being 0, 14.3% , 14.3% and 7.1% . The resistance rates of other fungi were similar to Candida albicans. Conclusion The main pathogens causing fungal infection in patients with AD is Candida albicans. It should as early as possible process the clinical antifungal therapy under the result of antifungal susceptibility test and supportive measure.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the tendency of bacterial distribution and resistance of hospitial infections,and to provide the reference for the clinical treatment and infection control in hospital.METHODS Bacteria isolated from patients in our hospital from Jan 2004 to Dec 2005 were identified by ATB expression,and bacterial susceptibility tests were performed on strains using Kirby-Bauer method.RESULTS A total of 3066 pathogens strains were isolated,among them 927 strains were Gram-positive cocci(30.2%).The most common pathogens of them were Staphylococcus.Meticillin resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase negative Staphylococcus(CNS) accounted for 69.0% and 77.6%,respectively.In our data,no vancomycin resistant S.aureus were isolated.There were 2134 strains of Gram-negative bacilli(69.6%),the most common pathogens of them were Pseudomonas aeruginosa,Escherichia coli,Klebsiella pneumoniae,Acinetobacter baumannii and Enterobacter cloacae.The ESBLs producing strains of E.coli and K.pneumoniae accounted for 30.1% and 40.1%,respectively.The highest susceptible to Gram-negative bacilli was carbapenem,then were cefoperazone/sulbactam,piperacillin /tazobactam and cefepime.Mainly pathogenic bacteria were multi-resistant to some antibiotics.CONCLUSIONS Drug resistance of the nosocomial infection bacteria is a serious problem.It's important and urgent to carry out surveillance of bacterial resistance for appropriate using of antibiotics and effective controlling nosocomial infections.

Objective:To evaluate the effects of several kinds of surface treatment methods on the bond strength of zirconia prosthesis,and to provide references for improving the bond strength of zirconia prosthesis.Methods:Sixty zirconia blocks(10 mm×10 mm×2 mm) were divided into 6 groups according to the surface treatment methods:sandblasting,silica coating,Z-PRIME Plus,sandblasting+Z-PRIME Plus,sandblasting+silica coating,and silica coating+Z-PRIME Plus groups.The zirconia-resin specimens were fabricated using ScotchbondTM Universal;shear bond test was performed to detect the shear bond strength after treated with water storage(37℃) for 24 h by universal mechanical testing mechine;the fracture types were observed by stereoscopic microscope.One fracture specimen was randomly chosen from each group,and the morphology of the specimen was examined under scanning electron microscope.Results:The shear bond strength of the specimen in Z-PRIME Plus group was higher than those in the other groups(P<0.05).The adhesive failure was predominantly observed in sandblasting,silica coating,sandblasting+silica coating and silica coating+Z-PRIME Plus groups.There were 4 cases of mixed failure in Z-PRIME Plus group and there were 8 cases of mixed failure in sandblasting+Z-PRIME group.No cohesive failure was observed in all the groups.The scanning electron microscope results showed that the fracture surface occurred on the resin-zirconia interface of the specimens in sandblasting group,Z-PRIME Plus group,and sandblasting+Z-PRIME Plus group.The silica-zirconia fracture of specimens occurred in silica coating group and silica coating+Z-PRIME Plus group.The silica-resin interface fracture of specimens partially occurred in sandblasting+silica coating group.Conclusion:The application of Z-PRIME Plus can significantly improve the bond strength between zirconia and resin.

Objective To extract,detect and validate the BACE1 expression-regulating lncRNA BACE1-AS containing in the plasma of patients with AD in Chinese Han people,so as to provide a research basis for plasma BACE1-AS in AD to be a plasma molecular markers and a new target for treatment.Methods The study included 27 AD patients and 28 normal individuals whose age,sex,education,etc.were matched between AD and controi group.Total RNA extraction of plasma was performed using guanidine isothiocyanate-phenol chloroform method.Target gene amplification was executed by RT-PCR Kit.Gel electrophoresis and its imaging analysis were performed on the RT-PCR amplified products.Target gene amplified products were sequenced,its sequence consistency with gene bank-reported sequence were compared,and differences in target gene transcription between the two groups were statistically analyzed.Results The positive expression rates of BACE1-AS were 18.5％(5/27 cases)in ADgroup and 0.0％ in control group,respectively(P=0.023).In comparison between two groups,there was a significant difference (P =0.023).Gene sequencing confirmed the consistent between BACE1-AS gene sequence of 3 patients with AD and Gene Bank's BACE1-AS sequence.But the two other AD cases showed individual base replacement.Conclusions Compared with the healthy control group,patients with AD show specific BACE1 expression-regulating lncRNA BACE1-AS in plasma of AD patients,which provides theoretical basis for BACE1 AS as a biomarker of AD diagnosis and a new target in therapy of AD.

Objective To investigate the prognostic significance of follicular lymphoma international prognostic index (FLIPI) and FLIPI2 in Chinese FL patients for better prognostic model.Methods 63 newly diagnosed FL patients who received rituximab plus CHOP (cyclophosphamide,doxorubicin,vincristine and prednisone)-like chemotherapy from January 2003 to December 2010 were retrospectively analyzed according to FLIPI and FLIPI2 scoring system.Results According to FLIPI,31 patients (49.2 ％) were stratified into the low risk group (0-1 point),24 (38.1％) into the intermediate risk group (2 points),and 8 (12.7 ％) into the high risk group (3-5 points).As for FLIPI2 scoring,17 cases (27.0 ％) were classified in low risk group (0 point),42 cases (68.3 ％) in intermediate risk group (1-2 points),and 4 cases in high risk group (3-5 points).The overall response rates and 2-year progression free survival (PFS) rates of the three risk groups were 93.5 ％ (29/31),91.7 ％ (22/24),75.0 ％ (6/8) (P =0.27),and 85.7 ％,75.2 ％,58.8 ％ (Log-rank =1.063,P =0.59) respectively in FLIPI.In terms of FLIPI2,the overall response rates and 2-year PFS rates of the three groups were 100.0 ％ (17/17),90.7 ％ (39/42),50.0 ％ (2/4) (P =0.01) and 92.9 ％,74.0 ％,33.3 ％ (Log-rank =7.075,P =0.03).Conclusion FLIPI2 presents more robust prognostic significance than FLIPI in disease progression perspective for FL patients treated with R-CHOP like regimens in this study.

Graphene ( GN) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes ( MWCNT) composites were coated on glassy carbon electrode ( GCE ) and then poly ( nicotinic acid ) ( PNA ) was electrodeposited on the modified electrode. The electrochemical behavior of pyridoxine hydrochloride ( VB6 ) was investigated at the modified electrode by cyclic voltammetry ( CV ) and differential pulse voltammetry ( DPV ) . Results showed the oxidation current of VB6 at the GN-MWCNT/PNA/GCE was obviously larger than that at GCE, PNA/GCE and GN/MWCNT/GCE. The oxidation process of VB6 was an irreversible diffusion-controlled process involving one electron and two protons. The liner range between the peak current intensity of DPV and the concentration of VB6 was 0 . 05-200 μmol/L with a detection limit of 0 . 02 μmol/L ( S/N=3 ) . The modified electrode showed a good reproducibility with a relative standard deviation of 3 . 1% ( n=8 ) . The proposed method was applied to the analysis of vitamin B6 in vitamin B6 tablets and compound vitamin B tablets with recoveries between 96 . 1%-104 . 5%.

Objective:This work aims determine the expression of the neurotensin (NTS) gene in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) subgrouping using immunohistochemical staining (IHC) as well as to evaluate the correlation between the activation of NTS/IL-8 pathway in HCC and inflammatory response in microenvironment and epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) in cancer and in the prognosis of patients. Methods:Tumor tissues and corresponding adjacent normal tissue were collected from 64 cases of HCC patients. The expression levels of NTS protein and multiple inflammation and EMT-related proteins, including IL-8, VEGF, MMP9, CD68, E-Cadherin,β-Catenin, and Vimentin, were examined in 64 cases of paraffin-embedded HCC tissues using the immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining method. The clinical outcome and overall survival (OS) among 64 cases of HCC patients were compared. Results:We found that the frequency of NTS-expressing tissues among all HCC samples was 17.19%(11/64). Significantly increased IL-8 protein was confirmed in 90.91%of NTS+HCC samples and was positively correlated with the levels of NTS protein in cancer tissues (P=0.036), which implied the dysfunctional activation of NTS/IL-8 pathway in HCC. The levels of VEGF and MMP9 were significantly correlated with the co-expression of NTS and IL-8 in HCC. Evident features of EMT, including decreased membrane expression of E-Cadherin and increased accumulation of cytoplasmicβ-Catemin and Vimentin, were found in NTS+IL-8+samples. The co-expression of NTS and IL-8 in cancer was significantly correlated with the clinical outcomes of patients, as the mortality rate of NTS+IL-8+HCC patients is 2.5-fold higher than that of others after surgery (P=0.022).Accordingly, the OS of NTS+IL-8+HCC patients significantly decreased (24.65±4.45 m vs. 75.79±16.32 m, P=0.013), and these patients are at a higher risk of death at an expected hazard ratio (HR) of 3.457. Conclusion:The NTS/IL-8 pathway is dysfunctionally activated in a subgroup of HCC samples. Highly expressed NTS is associated with increased inflammatory response in microenvironment, enhanced EMT in cancer, and worse prognosis in HCC patients.

[ ABSTRACT] AIM: To investigate the underlying mechanisms responsible for endothelial dysfunction of type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM) rats fed with high-salt diet.METHODS:Type 1 DM was induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (70 mg/kg).Normal and diabetic rats were fed high-salt food (HS, 8% NaCl) and standard food for 6 weeks, respectively.Isometric tension of the mesenteric arteries were measured .The expression of Akt , endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and caveolin-1 (Cav-1) was examined by Western blot .RESULTS:The rats in DM+HS group exhibited more pronounced impairment of vasorelaxation to acetylcholine and insulin compared with either DM group or HS group (P<0.01).Akt and eNOS phosphorylation levels, and nitric oxide (NO) concentration in DM +HS group were significantly lower than those in DM group (P<0.01).The level of Cav-1 in DM+HS group was significantly higher than that in DM group and HS group .CONCLUSION:Impaired endothelial Akt activation , increased Cav-1 expression and re-sultant decreased eNOS activation contribute to aggravate high-salt diet-induced endothelial dysfunction and hypertension in DM rats.

Objective:To highlight the developmental process of 3D cell culture technology system, which is more suitable for isolating and identifying lung cancer stem-like cells than 2D cell culture technology system, and to explore the application of 3D cell cultures in the evaluation of proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, and drug resistance of lung cancer. Methods:Cells (104/well) from the human lung adenocarcinoma cell lines A549 and RPMI 1640 were cultured in complete medium containing 10%fetal bovine serum. Cell suspension was cultured in a BME basal medium. A growth curve was drawn after 7 d of culture. The stem-like cell was identified through a mammosphere culture, drug resistance and invasion assay, and flow cytometry. Data of A549 cells cultured in 3D and 2D tra-ditional cell culture technologies were compared. Results: Cells from the 3D cell culture had higher tumor formation rates [(20.75 ± 0.85) d vs. (60.25 ± 1.49) d, P<0.01)] and tumor sphere formation (28.50%± 1.17%vs. 8.67%± 0.80%, P<0.01) than those from the 2D cell culture. Moreover, cells from 3D cell culture were more invasive and resistant to therapy (58.17%± 2.19%vs. 41.70%±5.81%in 48 h, P<0.01;33.27%±5.76%vs. 27.30%±4.25%in 72 h, P<0.01). Phenotype experimental results demonstrated that the CD44 and CD326 cells were double-positive, whereas the CD24 cell was negative. Conclusion:The proportion of stem-like cells in A549 cell line after 3D cell culture significantly increased compared with 2D cell culture. The 3D cell culture can promote the proliferation of lung cancer stem cells.

Astaxanthin is a useful pigmentation source in fish aquaculture. It has strong antioxidative activity and therefore has potential application in delaying aging and degenerative diseases in human and animals. In recent years, there is a growing demand for astaxanthin. The red yeast Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous (called Phaffia rhodozyma before) is one of the most promising microorganisms for the commercial production of astaxanthin. During fermentation, X. dendrorhous shows the Crabtree effect. Higher glucose concentration will cause significant reductions in biomass and astaxanthin production. Therefore, fed-batch processes are particularly useful. In this paper, effects of glucose-feeding strategies on astaxanthin production by X. dendrorhous were studied. Based on the substrate inhibition model, an optimized two-stage feeding strategy for astaxanthin production of high-cell-density fermentation was proposed. Glucose concentration was first controlled at about 25 g/L during the lag phase and the early exponential phase. In such case, biomass could reach its maximum value in relatively short time. Then the glucose concentration was controlled at about 5 g/L in the later exponential phase and stationary phase. The synthesis of astaxanthin could be effectively prolonged. The results showed that the optimized two-stage feeding strategy was the best among all the feeding strategies, and could obtain the highest biomass (23.8 g/L) and astaxanthin production (29.05 mg/L), which was a significant increase (52.8% and 109% respectively) compared with a batch process.
Basidiomycota ; metabolism ; Fermentation ; Kinetics ; Models, Biological ; Xanthophylls ; biosynthesis