OBJECTIVE:To analyze bacteria distribution and drug resistance of pediatric severe sepsis in our hospital,and to provide reference for clinical rational use of antimicrobial agents. METHODS:57 pediatric severe sepsis patients were collected from pediatric intensive care unit of our hospital during Jan. 2014 to May 2015. The results of pathogen culture and drug sensitivity tests were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS:Of 57 children,pathogen were detected in 18 cases(31.58%). A total of 91 pathogen were detected,of which there were 24 strains of Gram-positive(G+)bacteria(26.37%)mainly including Staphylococcus and Entero-coccus,60 strains of Gram-negative (G-) bacteria (65.93%) mainly including Klebsiella pneumoniae and Acinetobacter calco-acetcus-A. baumannii complex and 7 strains of fungus (7.69%) as Candida. 4 strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus,22 strains of carbapenems-resistant K. pneumoniae,21 strains of multi-drug resistant K. pneumoniae and 7 strains of multi-drug resistant A. calcoacetcus-A. baumannii complex were all detected. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus,Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococ-cus pneumoniae were sensitive to vancomycin and linezolid,with resistant rate of 0. K. pneumoniae was completely resistant to ampi-cillin sodium and sulbactam sodium,piperacillin sodium and tazobactam sodium,imipenem and cephalosporin,with resistant rate of 100%. Resistant rate of A. calcoacetcus-A. baumannii complex to major common antimicrobial agents was higher than 50%. Esche-richia coli was resistant to cefotaxime,and resistant rates of other antimicrobial agents were lower than 40%. CONCLUSIONS:Main pathogen of pediatric severe sepsis is G- bacteria in our hospital,and carbapenems-resistant K. pneumoniae is detected,to which should be pay attention. The multiple drug-resistant treatment should be adopted for pediatric severe sepsis caused by multiple drug-re-sistant bacteria. Antimicrobial agents should be selected rationally according to pathogen type and the results of drug sensitivity test.

Objective To study the molecular identification method of Candida species and lay the foundation of molecular diagnosis for deep candidiasis. Methods PCR was used to amplify the internal transcribed spacer region of ribosomal DNA from 11 type strains of 9 pathogenic Candida spp. and 39 clinical Candida isolates, and the products were digested with three types of restriction endonucleases (MspⅠ,DdeⅠand HaeⅢ). Results Five patterns of products with different molecular weights were obtained after amplification from 9 Candida spp., and the products were digested with MspⅠ, DdeⅠand HaeⅢ, producing 8, 5 and 4 unique band patterns, respectively. Conclusion PCR-RFLP is reliable, specific and useful for the identification of common pathogenic Candida species.

Objective To investigate the value of procalcitonin (PCT) on predicting the severity and prognosis in patients with early acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).Methods A prospective observation study was conducted. A total of 113 patients with ARDS undergoing mechanical ventilation admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) of Affiliated People's Hospital ofJiangsu University from October 2012 to April 2016 were enrolled. Based on oxygenation index (PaO2/FiO2), the patients were classified into mild, moderate, and severe groups according to Berlin Definition. Twenty-five healthy volunteers were served as controls. Demographics, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ (APACHE Ⅱ) score, and Murray lung injury score were recorded. Within 24 hours after diagnosis of ARDS, the serum levels of PCT and C-reactive protein (CRP) were determined by enzyme-linked fluorescence analysis (ELFA) and immune turbidimetric method, respectively. The patients were also divided into survival and non-survival groups according to clinical outcome within 28-day follow-up, and the clinical data were compared between the two groups. Spearman rank correlationwas applied to determine the correlation between variables. The predictive value of the parameters on 28-day mortality was evaluated with receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis was used to compare different PCT levels of patients with 28-day cumulative survival rate. Results After excluding patients who did not meet the inclusion criteria and loss to follow-up, the final 89 patients were enrolled in the analysis. Among 89 ARDS patients analyzed, 27 of them were mild, 34 moderate, and 28 severe ARDS. No significant differences were found in age and gender between ARDS and healthy control groups. Infection and trauma were the most common etiology of ARDS (55.1% and 34.8%, respectively). Compared with healthy control group, both CRP and PCT in serum of ARDS group were higher [CRP (mg/L): 146.32 (111.31, 168.49) vs. 6.08 (4.47, 7.89), PCT (μg/L): 3.46 (1.98, 5.56) vs. 0.02 (0.01, 0.04), bothP < 0.01], and the two showed sustained upward trends with the ARDS course of disease. Compared with mild group, severe group had significantly higher APACHE Ⅱ and Murray scores. Spearman rank correlation analysis showed that both serum PCT and CRP in patients with ARDS was correlated well with APACHE Ⅱ score (r values were 0.669 and 0.601, respectively, bothP < 0.001), while PCT was weakly but positively correlated with Murray score (r = 0.294,P = 0.005), but not the case of CRP (r = 0.203,P = 0.052). APACHE Ⅱ score and serum PCT in non-survival group (n = 38) were significantly higher than those of the survival group [n = 51; APACHE Ⅱ score: 26.00 (23.00, 28.50) vs. 21.00 (17.00, 25.00), PCT (μg/L): 6.38 (2.82, 9.49) vs. 3.09 (1.08, 3.57), both P < 0.01], but Murray score and CRP level were similar between survivors and non-survivors. The areas under ROC curve (AUC) of APACHE Ⅱ score and PCT for predicting 28-day mortality were 0.781 and 0.793, respectively, which were better than those of AUC of Murray score and CRP (0.606 and 0.561, respectively, allP < 0.05). The AUC of APACHE Ⅱ score combined with PCT was significantly higher than that of PCT (0.859 vs. 0.793,P = 0.048) or APACHE Ⅱ score alone (0.859 vs. 0.781,P = 0.038). Using a PCT cut-off value of > 4.35μg/L for predicting 28-day mortality, the sensitivity and specificity was 92.2% and 63.2%, respectively, and the positive and negative likelihood ratios were 2.50 and 0.12 respectively. Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis indicated that the patients whose PCT more than 4.35μg/L, had lower 28-day cummulative survival rate as compared with those with PCT ≤ 4.35μg/L (log-rank test: χ2 = 5.013,P = 0.025).Conclusion The elevated serum PCT level in patients with ARDS seems to be correlated well with the severity of lung injury, and appears to be a useful prognostic marker of outcome in the early phases of ARDS.

Objective To observe the efficacy of combinated inhaled glucocorticosteroid and long- ?2 - agonist for asthmatic children. Methods Forty- seven children with moderate or severe persistent asthma were treated with inhalation of the fluticasone pro-pionate and salmeterol. The PEF value and the mark according the symptom of asthma before and after treatment( week and month respectively) were recorded. At the same time the days of treatment the patient with the short - ?2 - agonist in the first week and the forth week respectively were noted. The subjective feeling and accident of patients also should be paid attention. Results There was significant difference (P

OBJECTIVETo explore the role of neuregulin (neural regulation of protein, NRG) in the process of mouse spermatogonia proliferation.

METHODSMouse testis fragments were cultured in the medium DMEM containing purified NRG1beta or NRG3 at the concentration of 50, 100 and 200 ng/ml, respectively, followed by BrdU immunohistochemical staining and determination of the proliferation rate of spermatogonia.

RESULTSCompared with the control group, neuregulin significantly promoted the proliferation of spermatogonia (P < 0.05). The proliferation rates of spermatogonia cultured in the medium with 50, 100 and 200 ng/ml of NRG13 were 1.69, 1.55 and 1.86 times, and those with 50, 100 and 200 ng/ml of NRG3 were 1.35, 1.54 and 2.11 times that of the control.

CONCLUSIONNRG1beta and NRG3 can promote the proliferation of mouse spermatogonia, and NRG is expected to be applied in the treatment of male infertility.

Animals ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; pharmacology ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Neuregulin-1 ; pharmacology ; Signal Transduction ; Spermatogonia ; cytology ; metabolism

For the efficient interception performance of the membrane, some biological aspect in membrane bioreactor are different from those in the activated sludge process. The physiological and biochemical characteristics of microbial community, activated sludge, and microbial products in the membrane bioreactor are illustrated in this paper.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation of multifidus muscle atrophy on MRI findings with clinical findings in low back pain patients. METHOD: Medical records of 80 patients presenting with low back pain were retrospectively reviewed. Their MR images were visually analysed to know lumbar multifidus muscle atrophy, disc herniation, disc degeneration, spinal stenosis and nerve root compression. RESULTS: Multifidus muscle atrophy increased from the upper lumbar level to the most caudal intervertebral level. It was bilateral in the majority of the cases. Multifidus muscle atrophy was well correlated with patient's age, referred leg pain, and disc degeneration. However, duration of low back pain, disc herniation, spinal stenosis, nerve root compression, sex, weight, height and BMI had no correlation with multifidus muscle atrophy. CONCLUSION: Examination of multifidus muscle atrophy should be considered when assessing MR images of lumbar spine. It may help for further evaluation and planning the treatment modalities of low back pain.
Atrophy* ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc Degeneration ; Leg ; Low Back Pain* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Medical Records ; Muscular Atrophy ; Paraspinal Muscles* ; Radiculopathy ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Stenosis ; Spine

The incidence of severe hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection has been increasing. However, clinicopathologic features of severe HAV infection that lead to liver transplantation (LT) have not been reported in Korea. We retrieved 16 LT cases with HAV infection during the last 3 years at Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea. Fifteen cases progressed to hepatic encephalopathy. Thirteen cases survived with or without complications, and three patients died of sepsis. The explanted liver showed massive or zonal necrosis with moderate to severe cholestasis. The zonal distribution of necrosis was frequently associated with endothelialitis of portal and/or central veins. Degenerative changes of hepatocytes were various in degree and distribution. Viral inclusions were suspected in two cases. Although HAV infection is usually confirmed by serological tests, significant venulitis of central and/or portal veins and viral inclusions, which are rarely observed, can suggest an HAV infection as a cause of massive hepatic necrosis of unknown mechanism.
Cholestasis ; Fluconazole ; Hepatic Encephalopathy ; Hepatitis ; Hepatitis A ; Hepatitis A virus ; Hepatocytes ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Liver ; Liver Transplantation ; Massive Hepatic Necrosis ; Necrosis ; Portal Vein ; Sepsis ; Serologic Tests ; Veins

OBJECTIVETo investigate the expression of long non-coding RNA-HOTAIR in prostate cancer cells and its effects on the growth and metastasis of the cells.

METHODSUsing quantitative reverse-transcription PCR (qRT-PCR), we determined the relative expression of HOTAIR in the normal human prostate epithelial cell line RWPE-I and prostate cancer cell lines PC-3 and DU145. We detected the effects of HOTAIR on the cell cycle and invasiveness of prostate cancer cells by RNA interference, flow cytometry, and Transwell mitration assay.

RESULTSThe expressions of HOTAIR in the PC3 and DU145 cells were increased 3.2 and 5.7 times, respectively, as compared with that in the normal RWPE-1 cells. After si-HOTAIR interference, the prostate cancer cells were arrested in the G2 phase and downregulated in the G1 phase. The invasive ability of the prostate cancer cells was evidently inhibited, with the inhibition rates of 32% and 44% of the PC3 cells and 43% and 34% of the DU145 cells for si-HOTAIR1 and si-HOTAIR2, respectively.

CONCLUSIONIncRNA HOTAIR is highly expressed in prostate cancer, which is associated with the growth and invasiveness of prostate cancer cells. HOTAIR is potentially a novel marker for the diagnosis and prognosis of prostate cancer.

Cell Cycle ; Cell Cycle Checkpoints ; Cell Division ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; Down-Regulation ; G1 Phase ; G2 Phase ; Humans ; Male ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Prognosis ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; RNA Interference ; RNA, Long Noncoding ; metabolism ; RNA, Untranslated ; metabolism

Objective To evaluate the role of three vessels and trachea view (3VT) in diagnosis of fetal heart disease and great artery abnormality.Methods 39 pregnant women undergoing fetal ultrasound scan and diagnosed with great artery abnormality were enrolled in this study.Then the image characteristics and significance of 3VT in these 39 cases were analyzed and evaluated.Results In these 39 cases proved by autopsy,persistent truncus arteriosus(7 cases),transposition of the great arteries(7 cases),coarctation of the aorta(5 cases),tetralogy of Fallot (4 cases),pulmonary stenosis (3 cases),hypoplastic left ventricle syndrome(2 cases),persistent left superior vena cava (2 cases),pulmonary valve stenosis with single ventricle(2 cases),Ebstein anomaly with pulmonary stenosis (1 case),interruption of the aortic arch( 1 case),hypoplastic right ventricle(1 case),dextroaortic arch (1 case),and ductus arteriosus stenosis( 1 case) were detected.All of them had anomalies performance on 3VT.While in the 2 cases of double outlet right ventricle,only one eoncurrenting with pulmonary artery stenosis showed reduced inner diameter of pulmonary artery on 3VT.According to the performance of 3VT in great artery abnormality,it could be divided into 4 categories:abnormal location,abnormal ratio,abnormal amount and abnormal blood direction of great artery.Conclusions 3VT is a useful supplement to the 4-chamber view,and has significant value in diagnosis of fetal heart and great arteries abnormities.