ObjectiveTo analyze the etiological characteristics of two strains of Escherichia albertii first identified in Baoshan District, Shanghai, in 2024, to explore their antibiotic resistance characteristics, virulence characteristics, and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) to elucidate their genetic evolutionary relationships, so as to provide a scientific basis for the surveillance and control of Escherichia albertii in the local area. MethodsA total of 457 anal swabs were collected from patients with diarrhea in 2024, from which two suspected Escherichia albertii strains were isolated. The isolated strains were identified through mass spectrograph analysis, biochemical identification, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. Microdilution broth method was used for the antimicrobial susceptibility testing, and whole-genome sequencing was performed for molecular characteristic analysis. ResultsMass spectrograph analysis and PCR test initially identified the two strains as Escherichia coli (E. coli), but their biochemical profiles were inconsistent with those of E. coli. Genomic sequencing identified the strains as Escherichia albertii, and which were named as S1 and S2, respectively. The antimicrobial susceptibility test showed that both strains were susceptible to β‑lactam antibiotics and moderately susceptible to polypeptide antibiotics. S1 was resistant to chloramphenicol (CHL), streptomycin (STR), tetracyclin (TET), florfenicol (FFC) and nalidixic acid (NAL), and carried five resistance genes including APH（6），APH（3）， gyrA， tet and flor, whereas S2 was susceptible to the five antibiotics mentioned above. Neither of the two strains contained the stx virulence gene, but S2 harbored the astA virulence gene. The two Escherichia albertii strains had the MLST types of ST4638 and ST4606, respectively. The genome size of the two strains was 4.5 Mb, and the closest relative strain was GTC14781 (Escherichia albertii). The average nucleotide identity (ANI) values to the reference genome of E. coli were both below 90%. S1 did not have the H serotype defined in the current database. S1 and S2 differed by 28 267 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and no homologous strains were found in comparison with the data in the GeneBank database. ConclusionTwo strains of Escherichia albertii are initially identified in Baoshan District of Shanghai. Strain S1 shows strong multidrug resistance, while strain S2 carries diarrheagenic virulence genes. The two strains have a distant genetic relationship and exhibits a pattern of sporadic occurrence. It is recommended to utilize whole-genome sequencing technology to enhance the epidemiological surveillance and laboratory detection of Escherichia albertii.

Objective To investigate the effects of asperuloside(ASP)on airway inflammation and the interleukin-6/Janus kinase 2/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(IL-6/JAK2/STAT3)signaling pathway in juvenile rats with bronchial asthma.Methods A juvenile rat model of bronchial asthma was constructed and randomly separated into a Model group,low,medium,and high dose asperuloside groups(ASP-L,ASP-M,ASP-H groups),and high-dose asperuloside+pathway activator group(ASP-H+CA1 group),with 12 rats in each group.An additional 12 healthy rats were included as Control group.All rats were evaluated for lung function.The number of inflammatory cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF),and the levels of inflammatory factors in BALF and serum were detected.HE staining was applied to observe the pathological morphology of lung tissue.Western blot was applied to detect the expression of proteins related to the IL-6/JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway.Results Compared with Control group,the lung tissue of rats in the Model group showed severe damage and higher levels of inflammatory cell infiltration,the PEF,Cdyn,and FEV/FVC indexes were greatly decreased,the numbers of inflammatory cells(WBC,EOS,NEU,LYM),levels of inflammatory factors(IL-1β,TNF-α,and IL-6)in BALF and serum,and the expression levels of signaling pathway proteins(IL-6,p-JAK2/JAK2,p-STAT3/STAT3)were obviously increased(P＜0.05).Compared with the Model group,with the increase of ASP dosage,the degree of lung tissue damage and inflammatory cell infiltration of rats in the ASP-L,ASP-M,and ASP-H groups were significantly reduced,the PEF,Cdyn,and FEV/FVC indexes were gradually increased,the numbers of inflammatory cells(WBC,EOS,NEU,LYM),levels of inflammatory factors(IL-1β,TNF-α,and IL-6)in BALF and serum,and the expression levels of signaling pathway proteins(IL-6,p-JAK2/JAK2,p-STAT3/STAT3)were gradually decreased(P＜0.05).Compared with the ASP-H group,the lung tissue of rats in the ASP-H+CA1 group showed severe damage,the infiltration of inflammatory cells increased,the PEF,Cdyn,and FEV/FVC indexes were decreased,the numbers of inflammatory cells(WBC,EOS,NEU,LYM),levels of inflammatory factors(IL-1β,TNF-α,and IL-6)in BALF and serum,and the expression levels of signaling pathway proteins(IL-6,p-JAK2/JAK2,p-STAT3/STAT3)were greatly increased(P＜0.05).Conclusion Asperuloside can improve lung tissue damage,reduce inflammation levels,and improve lung ventilation function in rats with bronchial asthma.Its effect may be related to the regulation of the IL-6/JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway.

Objective To investigate the effects of asperuloside(ASP)on airway inflammation and the interleukin-6/Janus kinase 2/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(IL-6/JAK2/STAT3)signaling pathway in juvenile rats with bronchial asthma.Methods A juvenile rat model of bronchial asthma was constructed and randomly separated into a Model group,low,medium,and high dose asperuloside groups(ASP-L,ASP-M,ASP-H groups),and high-dose asperuloside+pathway activator group(ASP-H+CA1 group),with 12 rats in each group.An additional 12 healthy rats were included as Control group.All rats were evaluated for lung function.The number of inflammatory cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF),and the levels of inflammatory factors in BALF and serum were detected.HE staining was applied to observe the pathological morphology of lung tissue.Western blot was applied to detect the expression of proteins related to the IL-6/JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway.Results Compared with Control group,the lung tissue of rats in the Model group showed severe damage and higher levels of inflammatory cell infiltration,the PEF,Cdyn,and FEV/FVC indexes were greatly decreased,the numbers of inflammatory cells(WBC,EOS,NEU,LYM),levels of inflammatory factors(IL-1β,TNF-α,and IL-6)in BALF and serum,and the expression levels of signaling pathway proteins(IL-6,p-JAK2/JAK2,p-STAT3/STAT3)were obviously increased(P＜0.05).Compared with the Model group,with the increase of ASP dosage,the degree of lung tissue damage and inflammatory cell infiltration of rats in the ASP-L,ASP-M,and ASP-H groups were significantly reduced,the PEF,Cdyn,and FEV/FVC indexes were gradually increased,the numbers of inflammatory cells(WBC,EOS,NEU,LYM),levels of inflammatory factors(IL-1β,TNF-α,and IL-6)in BALF and serum,and the expression levels of signaling pathway proteins(IL-6,p-JAK2/JAK2,p-STAT3/STAT3)were gradually decreased(P＜0.05).Compared with the ASP-H group,the lung tissue of rats in the ASP-H+CA1 group showed severe damage,the infiltration of inflammatory cells increased,the PEF,Cdyn,and FEV/FVC indexes were decreased,the numbers of inflammatory cells(WBC,EOS,NEU,LYM),levels of inflammatory factors(IL-1β,TNF-α,and IL-6)in BALF and serum,and the expression levels of signaling pathway proteins(IL-6,p-JAK2/JAK2,p-STAT3/STAT3)were greatly increased(P＜0.05).Conclusion Asperuloside can improve lung tissue damage,reduce inflammation levels,and improve lung ventilation function in rats with bronchial asthma.Its effect may be related to the regulation of the IL-6/JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway.

Congenital bicuspid aortic valves(BAV)is one of the most common congenital heart diseases.It is generally diagnosed by echocardiography when deterioration of the abnormal leaflets becomes clinically evident.Patients with BAV are at increased risks of developing serious complications, including aortic stenosis, aortic regurgitation, aortic dilation, aortic dissection and/or aneurysm, which seriously threatens the health of patients.Although its diagnosis and surgical treatment have been clear, the specific pathogenesis has not been completely revealed.Recently, studies have found that gene mutations and related signaling pathway abnormalities are associated with BAV and its complications.And epigenetics and environmental factors are involved in the development and progress of BAV.Understanding the underlying cellular and molecular basis of normal and pathological aortic valve development may improve the preventative and therapeutic approaches to valve degeneration.

Proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) is an ocular fundus disease involving multiple cytokines.Its important pathological process is epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells.Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is an important inflammatory response inducing factor, which can be produced by activated RPE cells, microglia, monocytes and macrophages, and then participate in the occurrence and development of PVR.In addition to cytokines, epigenetic factors such as DNA methylation also play an important role in the development of PVR, in which methyl-CpG binding protein 2(MeCP2) is involved in EMT and fibrosis, and is highly expressed in PVR membrane.The positive expression of MeCP2 is also found in transformed RPE cells and microglia.It is speculated that MeCP2 plays an important role in the occurrence and development of PVR.TNF can also stimulate the expression of MeCP2.This article reviews the role of MeCP2 and the interaction between TNF and MeCP2 in the formation of PVR.

Objective: To investigate the effect of cephalosporin sequential therapy on acute mesenteric lymphadenitis caused by bacterial infection. Methods: From December 2015 to December 2018, 66 patients with acute mesenteric lymphadenitis caused by bacterial infection in Shaoxing Central Hospital were randomly selected.The control group(33 cases) received intravenous infusion of cefuroxime.The observation group(33 cases) was treated with intravenous infusion of cefuroxime, after the abdominal pain disappeared and the peripheral blood cell count returned to normal, the cefuroxime axetil tablet was given orally.The clinical efficacy of the two groups was evaluated, and the treatment costs and adverse reactions of the two groups were counted. Results: The total effective rate of the observation group was 96.97%(32/33), compared with 90.91%(30/33) of the control group, the difference was not statistically significant(χ²=1.26, P=0.53). The total cost of treatment in the observation group was (326.85±51.88)CNY, which was lower than that of the control group[(576.82±72.17)CNY], the difference was statistically significant(t=16.15, P=0.00). There were no significant adverse reactions in the two groups during treatment periods. Conclusion Sequential therapy with cefuroxime and venous infusion of cefuroxime for the treatment of acute mesenteric lymphadenitis in children with bacterial infection is safe, but sequential therapy is less expensive and therefore recommended.

BACKGROUND: Neural stem cell transplantation is an emerging therapeutic option in the recovery of neural lesions and neurodegenerative diseases. Neural stem cell culture and differentiation lay a foundation for the further study. OBJECTIVE: To improve the techniques for the isolation, cultivation, differentiation and identification of neural stem cells, and to explore the biological characteristics of cells. METHODS: The neural stem cells from C57BL/6 fetal rats were isolated and cultured in vitro using neurophere culture method followed by morphological and ultrastucture examination. The growth curve and cell cycle of passage 3 cells were drawn and analyzed. Nestin expression was tested by immunofluorescence. Neural stem cells induced in 1% and 10% fetal bovine serum were identified using anti-GFAP, anti-βⅢ-tubulin and anti-MBP by immunofluorescence. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The neurospheres exhibited strong cell proliferation ability. Under transmission electron microscope, there was a high nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio in the neural stem cells, indicating a low differentiation degree. Immunofluorescence analysis revealed that neural stem cells were positive for Nestin. The induced cells were positive for GFAP, βⅢ-tubulin, and MBP, indicating these cells were induced to differentiate into astrocytes, neurons and oligodendrocytes, and there were more neurons in 1% fetal bovine serum than those in 10% fetal bovine serum. In conclusion, we could successfully isolate neural stem cells in C57BL/6 mice, and low concentration of fetal bovine serum contributes to more neurons differentiated from neural stem cells.

OBJECTIVETo observe the clinical effects of needle-pricking therapy, a newly medical and minimally invasive technique, for functional retrograde ejaculation and to explore its mechanism. Methods Thirty-six patients with functional retrograde ejaculation were randomly divided into an observation group(19 cases) and a control group(17 cases) In the observation group,needle-pricking therapy was used at Guanyuan(CV 4) and bilateral sacral plexus nerve,lumbar 1 nerve and greater occipital nerve stimulating points,once a week. In the control group, midodrine tablets were prescribed orally,three times a day. All the treatment was given for 9 weeks. The clinical effects of the two groups were observed, and the levels of luteinizing hormone(LH), testosterone(Tes) and estra4 diol(E2) were compared between the two groups.

RESULTSThe total effective rate of the observation group was, 89. 47%(17/19), which was better than 47.06% (8/17) of the control group(P<0. 05). The LH and Tes were obviously increased and E2 was decreased compared with those before treatment in the observation group(all P< 0. 01). Tes was raised(P<0. 05) and E2 was apparently declined in the control group(P<0. 01). After treatment, the differences of serum LH and Tes were statistically significant between the two groups(both P<0. 01).

CONCLUSIONNeedle-pricking therapy has advantages for functional retrograde ejaculation probably in that stimulating lumbosacral nerves can strengthen the function of pelvic floor muscles and urethral expansion muscle and regulate sexual gland axis.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Adult ; Ejaculation ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Needles ; Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To explore the correlation between mutations in the promoter region of TBX1 gene and conotruncal heart defects. Methods A total of 621 children with conotruncal heart defects were recruited. Multiplex ligation-dependent probe ampliifcation (MLPA) was used to detect the copy numbers of chromosomal region 22 q 11 . 2 . Children with 22 q 11 . 2 deletion were excluded. Polymerase chain reaction ampliifcation (PCR) and gene sequencing were applied to analyze promoter region of TBX 1 (-2000 ..+1 ) in 605 children with conotruncal heart defects without 22 q 11 . 2 deletion and 588 healthy children. Bioinformatics software was used to predict and analyze the function of the variable loci. Results There were mutations in the promoter region of TBX 1 gene in children with conotruncal heart defects, including 3 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) sites and 7 rare loci. The incidence of mutation was 1 . 7%. The analysis of 7 rare loci by AliBaba 2 . 1 to showed that 3 of them may inlfuence the combination of trans-acting factors and cis-acting elements of the promoter of TBX 1 gene. Conclusion The mutation in the TBX 1 promoter region may be related to the occurrence of conotruncal heart defects.

Objective To observe the effect of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) vaccine on the degree of hepatic fibrosis in rats ,and to explore the effect of TGF-β1 vaccine on the insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP)3 and IGFBP7 .Methods The hepatic fibrosis rat model was set up by injecting N-nitrosodimethylamine . Among them , 10 rats were injected with TGF-β1 vaccine , and additional 10 rats were set up as healthy control group .Changes in hepatic pathology were observe and the expressions of IGFBP3 and IGFBP7 were detected by the methods of immunohistochemistry , reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot in rat fibrosis tissues after 6 weeks . Normality test and analysis of variance were conducted .LSD test was conducted if variances were tested homogeneity .Categorical data were analyzed using Fisher exact test . Results Changes in hepatic histology and serum levels of hyaluronic acid and laminin suggested that TGF-β1 vaccine interventions could reduce the extent of hepatic fibrosis in rats .The expressions of IGFBP3 mRNA in control group ,hepatic fibrosis model group and vaccine intervention group were 1 .735 ± 0 .097 ,1 .165 ± 0 .096 and 1 .491 ± 0 .046 ,respectively (t= 4 .575 ,6 .285 and 8 .489 ,respectively ,all P< 0 .05) .The expressions of IGFBP7 in the above three groups were 0 .497 ± 0 .021 ,1 .250 ± 0 .064 and 0 .885 ± 0 .149 ,respectively (t= 5 .161 ,30 .101 and 7 .250 , respectively ,all P < 0 .05 ) . Immunohistochemistry proved that the expressions of IGFBP7 in fibrosis model group and TGF-β1 vaccine group were all significantly higher than control group ;and the expressions of IGFBP3 in fibrosis model group and TGF-β1 vaccine group were all significantly lower than control group .The expressions of IGFBP3 protein in control group , hepatic fibrosis model group and vaccine intervention group were 7 .508 ± 0 .357 ,5 .200 ± 0 .210 and 5 .751 ± 0 .178 ,respectively (t = 7 .622 ,6 .180 and 29 .156 , respectively ,all P < 0 .05) . The expressions of IGFBP7 were 1 .176 ± 0 .051 ,1 .735 ± 0 .115 and 1 .428 ± 0 .056 ,respectively (t = 7 .188 ,4 .827 and 8 .649 ,respectively ,all P< 0 .05) .Conclusion TGF-β1 vaccine can affect the expressions of IGFBP3 and IGFBP7 ,which plays an important role in the formation and development of hepatic fibrosis .