Objective To develop and evaluate a nucleic acid amplification test for spectinomycin-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae(N.gonorrhoeae).Methods N.gonorrhoeae-specific primers NG1/NG2 and primers specific to the N.gonorrhoeae rpsE gene mutation(80_82 delTTA)were designed.Genomic nucleic acids of spectinomycin-sensitive and resistant N.gonorrhoeae,Escherichia coli,Pseudomonas aeruginosa,and Salmonella typhi were used as templates to be amplified by PCR and quantitative real-time PCR(qPCR).The sensitivity and specificity of the method were evaluated accordingly.Results The NG1/NG2 primers could effectively amplify specific fragments of N.gonorrhoeae,yielding negative results for the nucleic acid amplification test of the other types of bacteria tested.E64/E175R and E-87/E95R could effectively differentiate the wild type and mutant(80_82 delTTA)rpsE genes.In PCR reactions,the minimum limits of NG1/NG2,E64/E175R,and E87/E95R for the target genes were 414.8 copies,414.8 copies,and 4.1 copies/μL,respectively,while those for qPCR reactions were 41.5,41.5,and 4.1×10-2 copies/μL,respectively.Conclusion A nucleic acid amplification test for spectinomycin-resistant N.gonorrhoeae with high specificity and sensitivity was successfully established in this study,which is expected to provide support for the rapid diagnosis of N.gonorrhoeae infection and treatment decision-making in clinical settings.

Objective To investigate the role of a novel rpsE gene mutation in mediating high-level spectinomycin resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae and to evaluate its effect on the biological fitness of the bacteria.Methods Spectinomycin-containing medium was used to screen for Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains with spontaneous mutations that conferred spectinomycin resistance.Minimum inhibitory concentrations(MIC)were determined,and the rpsE gene was sequenced.Changes in the growth rates of spectinomycin-resistant strain were assessed using the drop plate method and growth curves.Additionally,in vitro competition experiments were conducted with spectinomycin at different concentrations to assess changes in the biological fitness of the spectinomycin-resistant strain.Results A Neisseria gonorrhoeae strain with high-level spectinomycin resistance mediated by a novel rpsE gene mutation(88_90delGTT)was successfully identified and designated NG-SPTR.Compare with the wild-type strain,the NG-SPTR exhibited reduced growth rate(optical density[OD]comparison,P<0.05).In addition,in vitro competition experiments showed a competitive index(CI)<1 in gonococcal base liquid(GCBL)without or with low-concentration spectinomycin(≤16 μg/mL).In the GCBL with 32 μg/mL spectinomycin,the CI value gradually increased from<1 before 18 h to>1 after 18 h.The mutant strain showed CI>1 in GCBL with spectinomycin concentrations≥64 μg/mL.Conclusion The rpsE gene mutation(88_90delGTT)mediates high-level spectinomycin resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae,and imposes a fitness cost on the bacteria.The biological fitness of the mutant strain is influenced by the concentration of spectinomycin.

Objective:Overweight and obesity prevalence has increased in low-income countries.This study systematically reviewed the obesity trend,disparities,and prevention and control efforts in Nepal. Methods:We searched PubMed and Google Scholar for articles and reports published between January 1,2004 and December 31,2022.Additional information on National policies and programs related to obesity prevention was retrieved from governmental websites and consultation with relevant experts.Overweight and obesity were defined using the World Health Organization body mass index cut points.Thirty-two studies and reports were included. Results:Overall,overweight and obesity rates increased in all groups in Nepal although nationally representative data remained limited.The combined overweight and obesity(OW/OB)and obesity rates in women aged 15-49 years increased from 8.5％to 22.2％and from 0.9％to 5.1％between 2006 and 2016,respectively.OW/OB and obesity rates in men were 17.1％and 2.5％based on data from the 2016 Demographic and Health Survey.OW/OB rate in under-five children increased from 0.6％to 2.8％between 2006 and 2016.Obesity rates for school-age(5-9 years)boys and girls in 2016 were 2.4％and 2.8％,respectively,and were 1.1％and 1.4％for male and female adolescents aged 10-19 years,respectively.OW/OB prevalence was much higher among women,residents in urban areas and central provinces,and in higher socioeconomic status groups.Projected prevalence of OW/OB and obesity for 2030 in adults aged 15-49 was 44.7％and 8.3％,respectively,while it was 2.2％for OW/OB in preschool children.Policies and direct interventions that specifically focused on obesity prevention and control are limited. Conclusions:OW/OB prevalence in Nepal has increased during the past 1.8 decades,disproportionately affecting population groups.Existing interventions mostly focused on undernutrition with some indirect implications for obesity prevention.In the future,Nepal needs to develop population-based programs for obesity prevention.

Objective To establish and evaluate a microbial sensitivity test method for Neisseria gonorrhoeae based on resazurin coloration.Methods Based on the broth microdilution method,resazurin was added as a live bacteria indicator.WHO G,a WHO gonococcal reference strain,was used to optimize the incubation time for resazurin-stained bacteria and the color change was visually observed to obtain the results.Agar dilution method(the gold standard)and resazurin-based microdilution assay were used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration(MIC)of azithromycin,ceftriaxone,and spectinomycin for 3 reference strains and 32 isolates of Neisseria gonorrhoeae.The results were analyzed based on essential agreement(EA),which reflected the consistency of the MIC values,category agreement(CA),which reflected the consistency in the determination of drug resistance,intermediary,and sensitivity,very major error(VME),which reflected false sensitivity,and major error(ME),which reflected pseudo drug resistance,to evaluate the accuracy of resazurin-based microdilution assay as a microbial sensitivity test of of Neisseria gonorrhoeae.CA and EA rates≥90%and VME and ME rates≤3%were found to be the acceptable performance rates.Results The results obtained 6 hours after resazurin was added were consistent with those of the agar dilution method and the resazurin-based microdilution assay was established accordingly based on this parameter.The EA of resazurin-based microdilution assay for measuring the MIC results of azithromycin,ceftriaxone,and spectinomycin was 97.1%,91.5%,and 94.3%,respectively,and the CA was 88.6%,94.3%,and 94.3%,respectively.The VME was 0%for all three antibiotics,while the ME was 11.4%,5.7%,and 5.7%,respectively.Conclusion The resazurin-based microdilution assay established in this study showed good agreement with agar dilution method for measuring the MIC of antibiotics against Neisseria gonorrhoeae.Moreover,the sensitivity results of this method were highly reliable and could be easily obtained through naked eye observation.Nonetheless,the results of drug resistance should be treated with caution and the optimization of parameters should be continued.

The superior colliculus (SC), one of the most well-characterized midbrain sensorimotor structures where visual, auditory, and somatosensory information are integrated to initiate motor commands, is highly conserved across vertebrate evolution. Moreover, cell-type-specific SC neurons integrate afferent signals within local networks to generate defined output related to innate and cognitive behaviors. This review focuses on the recent progress in understanding of phenotypic diversity amongst SC neurons and their intrinsic circuits and long-projection targets. We further describe relevant neural circuits and specific cell types in relation to behavioral outputs and cognitive functions. The systematic delineation of SC organization, cell types, and neural connections is further put into context across species as these depend upon laminar architecture. Moreover, we focus on SC neural circuitry involving saccadic eye movement, and cognitive and innate behaviors. Overall, the review provides insight into SC functioning and represents a basis for further understanding of the pathology associated with SC dysfunction.
Superior Colliculi/physiology* ; Saccades ; Neurons/physiology*

The lateral habenula (LHb), which is a critical neuroanatomical hub and a regulator of midbrain monoaminergic centers, is activated by events resulting in negative valence and contributes to the expression of both appetitive and aversive behaviors. However, whole-brain cell-type-specific monosynaptic inputs to the LHb in both sexes remain incompletely elucidated. In this study, we used viral tracing combined with in situ hybridization targeting vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (vGlut2) and glutamic acid decarboxylase 2 (Gad2) to generate a comprehensive whole-brain atlas of inputs to glutamatergic and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic neurons in the LHb. We found >30 ipsilateral and contralateral brain regions that projected to the LHb. Of these, there were significantly more monosynaptic LHb-projecting neurons from the lateral septum, anterior hypothalamus, dorsomedial hypothalamus, and ventromedial hypothalamus in females than in males. More interestingly, we found a stronger GABAergic projection from the medial septum to the LHb in males than in females. Our results reveal a comprehensive connectivity atlas of glutamatergic and GABAergic inputs to the LHb in both sexes, which may facilitate a better understanding of sexual dimorphism in physiological and pathological brain functions.
Animals ; Male ; Mice ; Glutamic Acid/metabolism* ; Habenula/metabolism* ; Hypothalamus/metabolism* ; Neural Pathways/physiology* ; Sex Characteristics ; Vesicular Glutamate Transport Protein 2/metabolism* ; Female

Objective:To investigate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of primary ovarian leiomyoma (POL) and improve the understanding of the disease.Methods:The clinical data of four cases of POL confirmed by surgical pathology who received treatment in Huadu District People's Hospital between September 2006 and August 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. MRI manifestations and pathological features of POL were analyzed.Results:In four cases, POL occurred in unilateral ovarium and appeared to be a single quasi round mass with complete capsule and clear boundary. A solid mass was observed in three cases and a cystic solid mass in one case. Subcapsular effusion was observed in three cases with a relatively large tumor body. Typical MRI findings were iso-intensity or slight hypo-intensity signal on T 1WI, hypo-intensity signal on T 2WI and diffusion-weighted images. The solid part on enhanced scan was enhanced synchronously with the uterus. Atypical T 2WI findings included cystic changes as shown by varying degrees of hyper-intensity signal, and the cystic change area was not enhanced. The internal signal and pathological features of POL were similar to those of uterine leiomyoma. Conclusion:The research results are highly innovative and scientific. MRI is of great significance in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of POL.

Objective:To investigate the imaging characteristics of pregnant women complicated with posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome(PRES), in order to improve the understanding of the disease.Methods:The clinical and imaging data of 17 pregnant patients complicated with PRES from July 2011 to July 2017 of the People′s Hospital of Huadu District in Guangzhou were analyzed retrospectively.Results:All patients were preeclampsia or eclampsia in pregnancy (5 cases with eclampsia, 12 cases with eclampsia). Among them, 8 cases underwent CT examination, 9 cases underwent MRI examination Typical imaging findings were symmetrical subcortical white matter and subcortical cerebral edema presented as irregular low density area on CT images and symmetric subcortical white matter and abnormal cortical signal on MRI fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR)images.Diffuse-limited signals were not observed in both DWI and ADC.The location of lesions were parieto-occipital lobes[100.0%(17/17)], followed by frontallobe[88.9%(15/17)], temporal lobe[29.4%(5/17)], basal ganglia[41.2%(7/17)], corpus callosum[17.6%(3/17)], radiant crown[11.8%(2/17)]and cerebellum[11.8%(2/17)]. After symptomatic treatment, the clinical symptoms of all patients were significantly improved after 1-2 weeks, and no clinical symptoms were observed after 1-3 months of follow-up.Conclusion:The characteristic imaging features can be assessed in pregnant patients complicated with PRES, which presented as symmetrical subcortical white matter and subcortical cerebral edema, mainly involved the region supplied by posterior circulation, got good results after treatment timely.

Objective To summarize the features of multislice spiral computed tomography (MSCT) examination of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs),and investigate the relationship between predictors and risk of MSCT examination for GISTs.Methods The clinical data of 110 patients with GISTs who were admitted to the Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital from July 2011 to February 2014 were retrospectively analyzed.All the patients received 64-slices spiral CT (64S-SCT) or 16-slices spiral CT (16S-SCT) scan,and the data were transported to the PACS work station for multiplanar reconstruction.All the tumor samples were collected during operation and diagnosed by morphological manifestation and immunohistochemistry of tumors.Very low,low,and medium risk of GISTs were regarded as lower risk grade,and high risk of GISTs as high risk grade.The univariate analysis and multivariate analysis about features of imaging and risk were done by chi-square test and multivariate logistic regression model.Results Tumors located at the stomach in 81 cases,small intestines in 26 cases and colorectum in 3 cases.Diameter of tumors was 0.8-25.0 cm.Smaller tumors were in round or oval shape with well demarcated boundary,and larger tumors were irregular with unclear boundary.Endo-luminal growth of lessions was detected in 25 cases,duplex growth in 35 cases and extra-luminal growth in 50 cases.Enhanced CT scan showed that most of tumors in 105 patients demostrated moderate and high enhancement,heterogeneous enhancement in 74 cases,low density sacvariable necrosis area without enhancement in 60 cases and superficial,cracked-like and deep ulcer without calcification,metastasis and ascites in 23 cases.According to the features of GISTs by MSCT examination,location of tumor,diameter,shape,boundary,growth,enhancement,cystic necrosis,ulcer and metastasis were risk factors affecting risk classification of tumors by univariate analysis (x2=7.442,49.966,31.513,46.038,13.836,16.626,23.489,8.280,6.811,P ＜0.05).Diameter of tumor more than 10 cm and ulcer were independent risk factors affecting risk classification of tumors by multivariate analysis (OR =9.927,0.070 ; 95％ confidence intewal:1.888-52.180,0.012-0.398,P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion There is a characterization in the location,diameter,shape,boundary of tumor,growth,enhancement,cystic necrosis,ulcer and metastasis,and diameter of tumor more than 10cm and ulcer are independent risk factors affecting the risk classification of GISTs.

Objective:This study is to improves the understanding of adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) of the tracheobronchial tree by observing the multi-slice cornputed tomography (MSCT) features. Methods:The MSCT features of 19 cases with primary tra-cheobronchial ACC confirmed by histopathology were retrospectively analyzed. Results:Among the 19 cases, lesions were located in the trachea in seven cases, in the segmental and above segmental bronchi in 10 cases, in the peripheral lung in two cases. Intra-and ex-traluminal growth were observed in 15 cases (79%), whereas broad-based intraluminal lesions were exhibited in two cases (11%). Among the seven cases of tracheal ACC, the CT scans for five cases showed a notable tendency toward submucosal extension. Two cas-es manifested as a diffuse or circumferential wall thickening of the trachea, and the other three cases presented homogeneous mass fill-ing of the trachea with wall thickening. The 10 cases with bronchial ACC were manifested as intra-and extraluminal growth. Eight cas-es presented homogeneous polypoid growth toward the adjacent lumen, and seven cases presented extraluminal parts that were larger than the intraluminal parts. Among 13 contrast-enhanced examinations, three cases were without enhancement, five cases were slightly enhanced, four cases were moderately enhanced, and one case was highly enhanced. Conclusion:MSCT performances of ACC of the tracheo-bronchial tree possessed certain characteristics, such as broad-based mass, intra- and extraluminal growth, and diffuse wall thickening. CT can diagnose tumor malignancy, but the definitive diagnosis for ACC should depend on pathology.