Objective:To investigate the positive rate and isolate Bordetella pertussis in children with suspected whooping cough and their close family members in Zhejiang Province, and further explore the susceptibility and resistant mechanism of Bordetella pertussis to antibiotics. Methods:A total of 273 nasopharynx swabs specimens from children with suspected whooping cough in Hangzhou Children′s Hospital from May 2022 to October 2022 were collected. The strains were isolated and cultured using charcoal select agar plate. Pertussis target genes were detected by RT-PCR. E-test method was used to detect the sensitivity of Bordetella pertussis strains to different antibiotics. The mechanism of resistance of Bordetella pertussis to macrolides was analyzed by whole genome sequencing. The phylogenetic analysis of isolated strains was based on core genome multilocus sequence typing(cgMLST). Results:Among 273 clinical samples of children with suspected pertussis and their close family members, 168 samples were positive by fluorescence quantitative PCR, accounting for 61.54%, and 30 pertussis strains were successfully isolated with a positive rate of 10.98%. In addition, among the 143 samples of close family members, 54.55% (78/143) samples were positive by RT-PCR and 9.79% (14/143) samples were positive by culture, suggesting that the close family member are important in family transmission of pertussis. Besides, most of the positive samples were from mothers. The results of E-test showed that 96.67%(29/30) strains showed high resistance to azithromycin with MIC value>256 mg/L, and the resistant mechanism of azithromycin was A2047G mutation in 23S rRNA. The phylogenetic analysis based on the cgMSLT showed that the isolated strains were clustered into two new different clades.Conclusions:The positive rate of Bordetella pertussis in close family members is at a high level and the mother may be the main source of infection, which is of great significance for monitoring and laboratory detection of suspected children′s family members. Bordetella pertussis shows high resistance to macrolides in Zhejiang Province, so monitoring of the antimicrobial resistance should be further strengthened to provide theoretical basis for clinical treatment and drug guidance.

Due to the limitations of current anti-HBV therapies, the HBV core (HBc or HBcAg) protein assembly modulators (CpAMs) are believed to be potential anti-HBV agents. Therefore, discovering safe and efficient CpAMs is of great value. In this study, we established a HiBiT-based high-throughput screening system targeting HBc and screened novel CpAMs from an in-house marine chemicals library. A novel lead compound 8a, a derivative of the marine natural product naamidine J, has been successfully screened for potential anti-HBV activity. Bioactivity-driven synthesis was then conducted, and the structure‒activity relationship was analyzed, resulting in the discovery of the most effective compound 11a (IC₅₀ = 0.24 μmol/L). Furthermore, 11a was found to significantly inhibit HBV replication in multiple cell models and exhibit a synergistic effect with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) and IFNa2 in vitro for anti-HBV activity. Treatment with 11a in a hydrodynamic-injection mouse model demonstrated significant anti-HBV activity without apparent hepatotoxicity. These findings suggest that the naamidine J derivative 11a could be used as the HBV core protein assembly modulator to develop safe and effective anti-HBV therapies.

Objective:To compare the effect of O-arm assisted and free-hand pedicle screw placement in the treatment of AO type C thoracolumbar fracture.Methods:A retrospective cohort study was used to analyze the clinical data of 34 patients with type C thoracolumbar fracture admitted to Henan Provincial People′s Hospital from January 2018 to June 2021, including 23 males and 11 females; aged 42-63 years [(50.4±7.4)years]. The fracture was located at T 11 in 4 patients, T 12 in 10, L 1 in 12, L 2 in 6, T 11~12/L 1 in 1 and T 12/L 1 in 1. Posterior reduction and internal fixation was carried out for all patients, of whom 18 were treated with O-arm assisted pedicle screw placement (navigation group) and 16 with free-hand pedicle screw placement (free-hand group). The operation time, single screw placement time, intraoperative bleeding volume, operation mode and screw placement accuracy were compared between the two groups. The kyphotic Cobb angle, visual analogue score (VAS) and American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) score were compared between the two groups before operation, at 1 week after operation, at 3 months after operation and at the last follow-up. Postoperative complications were observed. Results:All patients were followed up for 12-29 months [(16.8±6.1)months]. There was no significant difference between the two groups in the operation time, intraoperative bleeding volume and operation mode (all P>0.05). The single screw placement time was (9.4±1.6)minutes in navigation group, but was (10.8±1.5)minutes in free-hand group ( P<0.05). The screw placement accuracy was 97.4% in navigation group, but was 81.5% in free-hand group ( P<0.01). The kyphotic Cobb angle and VAS had no significant differences between the two groups before operation (all P>0.05). The kyphotic Cobb angle in navigation group and free-hand group was (4.3±1.1)° and (5.9±1.1)° at 1 week after operation, (4.4±1.2)° and (5.7±1.3)° at 3 months after operation, and (4.4±1.2)° and (6.8±0.9)° at the last follow-up, decreased significantly from that before operation [(21.8±3.1)°, (22.2±3.2)°] (all P<0.01). The kyphotic Cobb angle in navigation group was significantly lower than that in free-hand group at 1 week, 3 months after operation and at the last follow-up (all P<0.01). The VAS in navigation group and free-hand group was (3.2±0.7)points and (4.1±0.7)points at 1 week after operation, (2.4±0.6)points and (3.0±0.8)points at 3 months after operation, and (1.8±0.9)points and (2.6±0.7)points at the last follow-up, decreased significantly from that before operation [(8.4±0.8)points, (8.3±0.9)points] (all P<0.01). The VAS in navigation group was significantly lower than that in free-hand group at 1 week, 3 months after operation and at the last follow-up (all P<0.01). The ASIA score showed no significant difference within and between the two groups before operation, at 1 week, 3 months after operation and at the last follow-up (all P>0.05). Postoperative incision infection occurred in 1 patient in both groups ( P>0.05). Implant failure such as loosening or displacement was not observed in navigation group, and only occurred in 2 patients in free-hand group ( P>0.05). Conclusion:Compared with free-hand pedicle screw placement, O-arm assisted pedicle screw placement in the treatment of AO type C thoracolumbar fracture has advantages of rapid and accurate screw placement, good reduction and notable pain relief.

As the utilization of computed tomography in lung cancer screening becomes more prevalent in the post-pandemic era, the incidence of multiple primary lung cancer (MPLC) has surged in various countries and regions. Despite the continued application of advanced histologic and sequencing technologies in this research field, the differentiation between MPLC and intrapulmonary metastasis (IM) remains challenging. In recent years, the specific mechanisms of genetic and environmental factors in MPLC have gradually come to light. Lobectomy still predominates in the treatment of MPLC, but the observation that tumor-specific sublobar resection has not detrimentally impacted survival appears to be a viable option. With the evolution of paradigms, the amalgamated treatment, primarily surgical, is an emerging trend. Among these, stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) and lung ablation techniques have emerged as efficacious treatments for early unresectable tumors and control of residual lesions. Furthermore, targeted therapies for driver-positive mutations and immunotherapy have demonstrated promising outcomes in the postoperative adjuvant phase. In this manuscript, we intend to provide an overview of the management of MPLC based on the latest discoveries.
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Humans ; Lung Neoplasms/therapy* ; Early Detection of Cancer ; Lung/surgery* ; Treatment Outcome ; Radiosurgery/methods* ; Neoplasms, Multiple Primary/pathology*

Flagella are the main motility structure of Clostridioides difficile that affects the adhesion, colonization, and virulence of C. difficile in the human gastrointestinal tract. The FliL protein is a single transmembrane protein bound to the flagellar matrix. This study aimed to investigate the effect of the FliL encoding gene flagellar basal body-associated FliL family protein (fliL) on the phenotype of C. difficile. The fliL gene deletion mutant (ΔfliL) and its corresponding complementary strains (: : fliL) were constructed using allele-coupled exchange (ACE) and the standard molecular clone method. The differences in physiological properties such as growth profile, antibiotic sensitivity, pH resistance, motility, and spore production ability between the mutant and wild-type strains (CD630) were investigated. The ΔfliL mutant and the : : fliL complementary strain were successfully constructed. After comparing the phenotypes of strains CD630, ΔfliL, and : : fliL, the results showed that the growth rate and maximum biomass of ΔfliL mutant decreased than that of CD630. The ΔfliL mutant showed increased sensitivity to amoxicillin, ampicillin, and norfloxacin. Its sensitivity to kanamycin and tetracycline antibiotics decreased, and the antibiotic sensitivity partially returned to the level of CD630 strain in the : : fliL strain. Moreover, the motility was significantly reduced in the ΔfliL mutant. Interestingly, the motility of the : : fliL strain significantly increased even when compared to that of the CD630 strain. Furthermore, the pH tolerance of the ΔfliL mutant significantly increased or decreased at pH 5 or 9, respectively. Finally, the sporulation ability of ΔfliL mutant reduced considerably compared to the CD630 strain and recovered in the : : fliL strain. We conclude that the deletion of the fliL gene significantly reduced the swimming motility of C. difficile, suggesting that the fliL gene is essential for the motility of C. difficile. The fliL gene deletion significantly reduced spore production, cell growth rate, tolerance to different antibiotics, acidity, and alkalinity environments of C. difficile. These physiological characteristics are closely related to the survival advantage in the host intestine, which is correlated with its pathogenicity. Thus, we suggested that the function of the fliL gene is closely related to its motility, colonization, environmental tolerance, and spore production ability, which consequently affects the pathogenicity of C. difficile.
Humans ; Clostridioides/metabolism* ; Clostridioides difficile/metabolism* ; Bacterial Proteins/metabolism* ; Virulence ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/metabolism*

Objective:To explore the association between grip strength and cognitive function in elderly people aged 65 years and over.Methods:Information on grip strength, cognitive function, and lifestyle in the elderly population aged 65 years and over in Wuhan was collected by unified professionally trained investigators.A total of 533 study subjects aged(70.7±5.1)years were grouped by quartile into four grip strength groups of Q1(<18.6 kg), Q2(18.6~24.1 kg), Q3(24.2~31.1 kg), Q4(>31.1 kg).Multiple linear regression and Logistic regression analyses were used to analyze the relationship of grip strength with cognitive function scores and cognitive impairment.Results:The mean grip strength of the 533 subjects was(24.94±9.15)kg.After adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, history of diseases, as compared with grip strength Q1 group, the linear regression coefficients(Beta value)of cognitive scores and 95% confidence intervals(95% CI)showed statistically significantly positive correlation[0.45(-0.36, 1.26)、0.40(-0.52, 1.32)and 1.19(0.07, 2.31), all P<0.05]only between cognitive scores and grip strength Q2、Q3 and Q4 value; and the odds ratio and 95% CI of incidence of cognitive impairment were 0.97(0.43, 2.21)for grip strength Q2, 0.79(0.30, 2.06)for grip strength Q3, and 0.22(0.05, 0.92)for grip strength Q4.Considering grip strength as the continuous variable, the risk of cognitive impairment was decreased by 6% and the cognitive score was increased by 0.07 with per 1kg increase of grip strength. Conclusions:The results of this study suggest that there is a positive correlation between grip strength and cognitive function in the elderly population, and a lower grip strength is related to increased risk of cognitive impairment.More attention should be paid to the grip strength of the elderly in the community.

Objective:To investigate the status and influencing factors of enteral nutrition support in late preterm infants (34-36 +6 gestational weeks) treated in different grades of hospitals in Beijing. Methods:This was a prospective study involving late preterm infants treated in 25 hospitals in Beijing from October 2015 to October 2017. Data about nutritional management and nutrition-related complications were recorded. Exclusive breastfeeding status of the infants by gestational age(GA) and hospital levels was analyzed. The achievement of full enteral feeding and the potential influencing factors were also analyzed. t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), Kruskal-Wallis test and Chi-square test were used for statistical analysis. Logistic regression and Cox regression analysis were used in multivariate analysis. Results:(1) A total of 1 463 late preterm infants with GA of 35.6±0.8 (ranging from 34.9 to 36.1) weeks was enrolled in this study. Compared with the infants with GA of 35-35 +6 and 36-36 +6 weeks, those born at 34-34 +6 gestational weeks had longer hospital stay [10 (8-13) vs 8 (7-10) and 7 (6-9) d, both P<0.05], greater loss of minimum weight [4.3% (2.6%-6.3%) vs 3.8% (2.0%-5.6%) and 3.3% (1.9%-5.5%), both P<0.05], higher incidence of apnea [5.3% (20/369) vs 2.1% (12/566) and 1.3% (7/528), both P<0.05] and respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) [7.1% (28/369) vs 3.0% (17/566) and 3.2% (17/528), both P<0.05], and lower percentage of failure to regain birth weight at discharge [32.5% (120/369) vs 38.7% (219/566) and 47.9% (253/528), both P<0.05]. Only the incidence of premature rupture of membranes among all maternal complications during pregnancy had statistical difference between 34-34 +6, 35-35 +6 and 36-36 +6 GA groups [6.2% (23/369) vs 12.7% (72/566) and 11.9% (63/528), χ2=10.244, P=0.007]. (2) The rate of enteral feeding increment in hospital was 13.7 (10.5-17.3) ml/(kg·d) and 46.0% (673/1 463) of the infants were fed formula. The exclusive breastfeeding rate increased from 4.5% (66/1 463) during hospitalization to 14.4% (211/1 463) at discharge. The breastfeeding rate at discharge varied widely among the 25 hospitals ( χ2=327.893, P<0.001) ranging from 32% to 0. (3) Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that gestational diabetes mellitus ( OR=2.426, 95% CI: 1.075-5.437, P=0.033) and premature rupture of membranes ( OR=8.726, 95% CI: 1.193-63.802, P=0.033) were the prenatal risk factors influencing the exclusive breastfeeding in late preterm infants. Enteral nutrition achieving 150 ml/(kg·d) and 120 kcal/(kg·d) (1 kcal=4.184 kJ) were noted for 28.4% (416/1 463) and 19.2% (281/1 463) of the late preterm infants at discharge, respectively. Cox regression analysis showed that hospital grades ( HR=1.470, 95% CI: 1.030-2.098, P=0.034), the length of hospital stay ( HR=1.162, 95% CI: 1.097-1.231, P<0.001), birth weight ( HR=0.946, 95% CI: 0.898-0.995, P=0.003), exclusive breastfeeding ( HR=2.354, 95% CI:1.031-5.374, P=0.042), feeding intolerance ( HR=3.677, 95% CI: 1.201-11.253, P=0.023), parenteral nutrition ( HR=1.900, 95% CI: 1.379-2.616, P<0.001), and the rate of enteral feeding advancement ( HR=1.426, 95% CI: 1.369-1.484, P<0.001) were independent factors associated with full enteral feeding at discharge. Conclusions:Exclusive breastfeeding rate in late preterm infants is low and enteral nutrition support varies greatly in different hospitals. The rate of enteral feeding increment is slow for hospitalized late preterm infants and most fail to achieve full enteral feeding at discharge. Gestational diabetes mellitus and premature rupture of membranes are prenatal risk factors affecting breastfeeding of late preterm infants. Those with low birth weight, exclusive breastfeeding in hospital, feeding intolerance, parenteral nutrition support, longer hospital stay or rapid enteral feeding advancement are more likely to achieve full enteral feeding at discharge.

Amino acids are important compounds with a wide range of applications in the food, medicine and chemical industries. Corynebacterium glutamicum is a powerful workhorse commonly used in industrial amino acid production, with the scale of more than one million tons. In addition to its efficient anabolism, the effective exporters also ensure the high amino acid production by C. glutamicum. In this review, the research progress of amino acid exporter of C. glutamicum is summarized, to provide the foundation for further improving amino acid production by C. glutamicum via metabolic engineering.
Amino Acids ; Corynebacterium glutamicum/genetics* ; Metabolic Engineering

Betacoronavirus ; isolation & purification ; pathogenicity ; Bile Acids and Salts ; metabolism ; Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic ; pathology ; virology ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Coronavirus Infections ; complications ; pathology ; Cytokine Release Syndrome ; etiology ; physiopathology ; Cytopathogenic Effect, Viral ; Epithelial Cells ; enzymology ; pathology ; virology ; Humans ; Hyperbilirubinemia ; etiology ; Liver ; pathology ; Organoids ; pathology ; virology ; Pandemics ; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A ; analysis ; Pneumonia, Viral ; complications ; pathology ; Receptors, Virus ; analysis ; Serine Endopeptidases ; analysis ; Viral Load

OBJECTIVE：To establish the fingerprint of crude/vinegar-processed Corydalis yanhusuo decoction pieces and their dispensing granules，and to determine the contents of five alkaloids （protopine，tetrahydropalmatine，corydaline，berberine hydrochloride，palmatine hydrochloride ）. METHODS ：HPLC method was adopted. The determination was performed on Agilent TC-C18 column with mobile phase consisted of 0.1％ phosphoric acid solution-methanol （gradient elution ）at the flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The detection wavelength was set at 280 nm，and the column temperature was 30 ℃. The sample size was 10 μL. Using palmatine hydrochloride as reference ， Similarity Evaluation System of TCM Chromatographic Fingerprint （2012 edition） was used to establish the fingerprint of 11 059） batches of C. yanhusuo decoction pieces ，7 batches of crude . yanhusuo dispensing granules ， 12 batches of vinegar- processed C. yanhusuo decoction pieces and 11 batches of vinegar-processed C. yanhusuo dispensing granules. The same HPLC method was adopted to determine the contents of protopine， tetrahydropalmatine， corydaline， berberine hydrochloride and palmatine hydrochloride in 41 batches of crude/ vinegar-processed C. yanhusuo decoction pieces and their dispensing granules. RESULTS ：There were 12 and 20 common peaks for crude C. yanhusuo decoction pieces and its dispensing granules ，and 14 and 16 common peaks for vinegar-processed C. yanhusuo decoction pieces and its dispensing granules. The similarity of each batch of same type were 0.529-0.981，0.342-0.985， 0.711-0.999，0.437-0.998，respectively. The linear range of protopine ，tetrahydropalmatine，corydaline，berberine hydrochloride and palmatine hydrochloride were 1.9-38.0，2.0-40.0，2.2-44.0，2.6-52.0，2.3-46.0 μg/mL（R2＞0.999 0）. The recoveries were 100.12％-100.98％（RSD＝1.05％-1.90％，n＝9）. RSDs of precision ，reproducibility，stability（24 h）and durability tests were all lower than 2.0％. The average contents of five alkaloids in different batches of crude/vinegar-processed C. yanhusuo decoction pieces and its dispensing granules were 0.24-0.46，0.37-0.82，0.24-0.58，0.07-0.75，0.24-0.76 mg/g. RSDs were 12.27％-147.48％. CONCLUSIONS：The fingerprint of crude/vinegar-processed C. yanhusuo decoction pieces and its dispensing granules is established successfully. The similarities of fingerprint are different before and after processing with vinegar ，and the contents of five alkaloids in C. yanhusuo decoction pieces and its dispensing granules are greatly different.