Recent metabolomics research revealed a new ginseng ginsenoside IH901 that is synthesized by intestinal microbial transformation in oral administration of ginseng. IH901 shows various biological activities, including anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, and anti-aging. In recent years, great effort has been made to prepare IH901 by microbial and enzymatic transformation in a large scale. In this paper, we reviewed the biotransformation pathways both in vivo and in vitro and bioactive properties of rare ginsenoside IH901.
Biotransformation ; Ginsenosides ; metabolism ; pharmacokinetics ; Humans ; Intestines ; metabolism ; microbiology ; Panax ; chemistry ; Sapogenins ; metabolism

Objective To evaluate the performance of modified Hodge test on the detection of carbapenemases among Enterobacteriaceae with decreased susceptibility to carbapenems. Methods Fortynine Enterobacteriaceae isolates with decreased susceptibility to carbapenems ( MIC of imipenem, meropenem or ertapenem was ≥ 2 μg/ml ) were collected from 16 teaching hospitals from 2004 to 2008. MICs of imipenem, meropenem and etapenem were determined by agar dilution method. Carbapenemases were detected by modified Hodge test. Carbepenemase-causing positive results and AmpCs-causing positive results were differentiated by phenyl boronic acid and oxacillin. Beta-lactamases encoding genes including blaNDM-1were detected by PCR and sequencing. Results Thirty-six of 49 isolates were non-susceptible to imipenem (MIC >4 μg/ml), 31 were non-susceptible to meropenem (MIC > 4 μg/ml) and 47 were non-susceptible to ertapenem (MIC > 2 μg/ml). Twenty-three isolates showed positive modified Hodge test result, including 9 weak-positive results and 14 strong-positive results. Through PCR detection and sequencing, 2 out of 9 isolates showing weak-positive results carried blaKPC-2 and other 7 did not carry any carbapenemase genes but AmpCs/ESBLs genes. Among the 14 isolates showing strong-positive results, 4 carried blaKPC-2, 8 carried blaIMP-4 and 2 caried blaIMP-8. All 26 isolates with negative modified Hodge test result didn't carry any carbapenemase genes. No isolate carried blaNDM-1. Carbapenemases genes PCR detection was regarded as a gold standard, and the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of modified hodge test was 100%, 79%, 70% and 100% on the detection of carbapenemases among Enterobacteriaceae with decreased susceptibility to carbapenems. Conclusions Modified Hodge test revealed great sensitivity but showed a few false positive results. True and false positive results can be effectively differentiated by phynel boronic acid and oxacillin.

Objective To investigate antimicrobial resistance among Streptococcus pneumoniae clinically isolated from 14 teaching hospitals located at different areas in China in 2005-2008 and to give logical guidance for clinical empirical therapy.Methods A total of 1 317 non-repetitive S.pneumoniae isolates in 14 teaching hospitals from 2005-2008 were collected and sent to the central lab for reidentification and susceptibility testing, including 271 isolates collected in 2005, 391 isolates collected in 2006, 363 isolates collected in 2007 and 292 isolates collected in 2008. Most of the isolates were from community-acquired respiratory tract infections, which were isolated from outpatient or emergency department patients with respiratory tract infections or those patients with respiratory tract infections within ≤48 hours hospitalization.The districts where the organisms were isolated include North China, Northeast China, South China, Central and Northwest China and East China.The patients included adults, teenagers and children.The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) or inhibitory zone diameter of 17 antimicrobial agents were determined by Etest method, agar dilution method or disk diffusion method.WHONET5.5 software was used to analyze susceptibility rate, intermediate rate, resistance rate, MIC50 and MIC90.Results Linezolid (100%) and fluoroquinolones (95.2%-99.7%) showed excellent activities against S.pneumoniae.Among β-lactams, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid remained high activities (73.8%-92.1%),followed by penicillin, ceftriaxone and cefepime with year-over-year decrease in activities.The activities of three second-generation cephalosporins were low (36.3%-38.4% in 2008).The activities of erythromycin, azithromycin, clindamycin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and tetracycline against S.pneumoniae were poor and decreased year over year.The incidence of penicillin non-susceptible S.pneumoniae (PNSP) was increasing especially for PISP (from 4.4% in 2005 to 20.2% in 2008).The incidence of PNSP in North China was low (6.0%), while this value were high in central China and East China (30.1% and 38.7%, separately).The incidence of PNSP in adults (15.7%) was obviously lower than that in children(≤5 years:33.0%) and teenagers (6-17 years:38.2%).Conclusions linezolid and fluoroquinolones showed excellent in vitro activity against S.pneumoniae, followed by penicillin and cephalosporins with year-over-year decrease of activity. Clinicians should pay more attention when using those antimicrobial agents with poor activity against S.pneumoniae, which include macrolides, clindamycin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and tetracycline.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the antimicrobial resistance of hospital-and community-acquired pathogens collected from 10 teaching hospitals located at different areas in China in 2006.METHODS According to the study protocol,the strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae,meticillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus(MSSA),Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae were collected and sent to the central lab for reidentification and susceptibility testing.The minimal inhibitory concentrations(MICs) of antimicrobial agents against Str.pneumoniae were determined by Etest method and MICs of antimicrobial agents against S.aureus,E.coli and K.pneumoniae strains were determined by agar dilution method.WHONET5.4 software was used to analyze the data.RESULTS Among 353 Str.pneumoniae strains,74.2% were penicillin-susceptible(PSSP),9.6% were penicillin-intermediate(PISP) and 16.2% were penicillin-resistant(PRSP).Strains from different hospitals showed different sensitivity to penicillin.Among ?-lactam antibiotics,cefuroxime showed the lowest susceptibility rate of 0%(for PRSP) to 76.7%(for PSSP).The susceptibility rate to ceftriaxone and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid was 98.1% and 98.9% in PSSP group,61.8% and 64.7% in PISP group,and 15.8% and 10.5% in PRSP group.The ESBLs rate was 56.2% among 267 Escherichia strains and 42.7% among 206 K.pneumoniae strains.For ESBLs-producing strains,the susceptibility rates to cefotaxime and ceftriaxone were low and the rate to ceftazidime was relatively high among ?-lactam antibiotics.73.4% MSSA strains produced ?-lactamase.?-Lactam antibiotics tested showed high susceptibility against MSSA strains.The susceptibility rate was 98.9-100%.The susceptibility rate to ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin was 80.8% and 88.1%,separately.CONCLUSIONS Fluoroquinolones show high susceptibility against Str.pneumoniae.Ceftriaxone and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid have relatively high susceptibility among ?-lactams.For MSSA and non-ESBLs-producing E.coli and K.pneumoniae strains,?-lactams show high susceptibility.For ESBLs-producing E.coli and K.pneumoniae strains,the susceptibility rates to cefotaxime and ceftriaxone are low and that to ceftazidime,cefepime and cefoperazone-sulbactam are relatively high.

Objective:To evaluate the safety of thymic surgery in patients aged 65 years and over.Methods:A total of 696 patients who underwent thymectomy/thymoma resection in the Department of Thoracic Surgery of Beijing Hospital from November 2011 to March 2022 were collected and divided into two groups according to the age of 65 years old.The preoperative course of disease, MG stage, dosage of pyridostigmine bromide, American College of Anesthesiologists(ASA)score, surgical method, intraoperative bleeding, postoperative drainage, postoperative complications, Clavien-dindo score(CDC), and myasthenic crisis were recorded and statistically analyzed.Results:A total of 696 patients were enrolled, including 364 males and 332 females, aged 15~86 years, with an average age of 49.1 years.There were 309 patients with thymoma, 565 patients with MG, and 178 patients with both.There were 124 cases in the elderly group(≥65 years old)and 572 cases in the non-elderly group(<65 years old). The incidence of thymoma was higher in the elderly group(54.8 % versus 42.1 %, χ2=6.664, P=0.010), while the incidence of MG was lower(67.7 % versus 84.1 %, χ2=17.827, P<0.001). The ASA score of the elderly group was higher than that of the non-elderly group( χ2=52.372, P=0.000), and the preoperative ventilation function FEV1 and FEV1/FVC were also significantly lower than those of the non-elderly group( z=8.187, 4.580, P=0.000 for all). The drainage volume in the first 3 days after operation and postoperative drainage tube time in the elderly group were significantly higher than those in the non-elderly group( P=0.018, P=0.003). The incidence of postoperative myasthenia crisis in the elderly group was higher than that in the non-elderly group( P=0.034). There was no significant difference in the incidence of postoperative complications between the two groups, but after Clavien-dindo classification, the score of the elderly group was higher than that of the non-elderly group( P=0.003). Although the ASA score and Clavien-dindo score of the elderly group were both higher than those of the non-elderly group, there was no correlation between the two. Conclusions:Although the preoperative ASA score and pulmonary function of elderly patients were poorer than those in the non-elderly group, while the incidence of postoperative myasthenia crisis was higher, and the incidence of postoperative complications was not higher, the Clavien-dindo classification, however, was higher in elderly patients than that of the non-elderly group.After careful preoperative evaluation and strengthening perioperative management, most elderly patients can receive thymus surgery safely with acceptable risks.