Bacterial infection is a major threat to global public health, and can cause serious diseases such as bacterial skin infection and foodborne diseases. It is essential to develop a new method to rapidly diagnose clinical multiple bacterial infections and monitor food microbial contamination in production sites in real-time. In this work, we developed a 4-mercaptophenylboronic acid gold nanoparticles (4-MPBA-AuNPs)-functionalized hydrogel microneedle (MPBA-H-MN) for bacteria detection in skin interstitial fluid. MPBA-H-MN could conveniently capture and enrich a variety of bacteria within 5 min. Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) detection was then performed and combined with machine learning technology to distinguish and identify a variety of bacteria. Overall, the capture efficiency of this method exceeded 50%. In the concentration range of 1 × 10⁷ to 1 × 10¹⁰ colony-forming units/mL (CFU/mL), the corresponding SERS intensity showed a certain linear relationship with the bacterial concentration. Using random forest (RF)-based machine learning, bacteria were effectively distinguished with an accuracy of 97.87%. In addition, the harmless disposal of used MNs by photothermal ablation was convenient, environmentally friendly, and inexpensive. This technique provided a potential method for rapid and real-time diagnosis of multiple clinical bacterial infections and for monitoring microbial contamination of food in production sites.

Objective To explore the association between immunoglobulin G (IgG) glycosylation and central obesity in a Chinese population. Methods We recruited 517 Chinese individuals from a community-based cohort in the Xicheng District, Beijing, China. The height, weight, waist circumference, and hip circumference were measured, and blood samples were collected. Plasma IgG N-glycome was determined using hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC). Central obesity was determined using the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). Men and women with a WHR>0.90 and >0.80, respectively were assigned to the central obese group,and those with a WHR≤0.90(men)and≤0.80(women)were assigned to the normal group.The correlation between WHR and glycosylation was determined using the standardized regression coefficient,and P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results The study included 517 participants,with an average age of(47.81±5.58)years(range:27-68 years),and 164(31.70%)of them were men. The central obese and normal groups included 205 (39.65%) and 312 (60.35%) participants, respectively. The average age for the central obese group (49.21 ± 5.70) years was higher than that for the normal group (46.89 ± 5.30) years, and the difference was statistically significant (t=-4.73, P=0.001). The two groups showed no significant differences in the sex of the participants(χ2=0.34,P=0.558).Twenty-four N-glycan traits(GP1-GP24)were directly measured,and because of the high variability among the repeated measurements and the unknown structures, GP3 and GP20 were excluded from the analysis. The peak contents for GP4,GP8,GP14,and GP18 were higher than the others and accounted for about 50% of all the peak contents. IgG GP10 (b'=0.076, P=0.024) positively correlated with WHR, whereas IgG GP12, GP17, GP22 negatively correlated with WHR(b'=-0.076,-0.081,-0.080,all P<0.05).Additionally,the IgG GP12, GP17,and GP22(P=0.001,0.004 and 0.033,respectively)were significantly lower in the participants of the central obese group,compared to those of the normal group. Conclusion The loss of galactose and sialic acid,as well as the addition of fucose to IgG N-glycan,correlate with increased WHR.

Objective To investigate why benign, paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) recurs.Methods Three hundred persons diagnosed with BPPV who had been treated at Tongji Hospital of Huazhong University of Science and Technology between April 2012 and April 2014 were given a telephone follow-up at least one year after their manual repositioning treatment.The respondents were divided into a healthy group and a recurrence group according to whether they said their vertigo had recurred.The age and gender distributions of the two groups were compared, along with their underlying diseases and living-related factors.Causes of the recurrence were then hypothesized.Results Single factor analysis and binary logistic regression analysis showed that overwork, an age over 45, travelling frequently, long use of computers, sleep disorders, oral intake of calcium tablets, posterior circulation ischemia and hyperlipidemia were all closely related to the BPPV recurrence.Age over 45 showed the strongest correlation.Conclusion Aging is the greatest risk factor for the recurrence of BPPV.Posterior circulation ischemia, hyperlipidemia, overwork, sleep disorders, long use of computers and being on business frequently are also predictors of relapse.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate clinical value of electrocochleography in diagnosing the Meniere's disease. METHOD: Patients were saperated as having definite, probable and possible Meniere's disease according to the 1995 AAOHNS guidelines. Then set the probable and possible Meniere's disease as a suspected group. We used four different stimulus (clicks, 1000 Hz tone burst, 2000 Hz and 4000 Hz tone burst) to record electrocochleo-graphy. Those patients in each group received electrocochleography examination, and summating potential (SP)/action potential (AP) ratios were calculated. A prolonged action potential latency shift (AP shift) evoked by rarefaction and condensation clicks was also measured. RESULT: The click SP/AP positive rate in definite Meniere's disease group was 41.2%, tone burst at 1,000 Hz. 2,000 Hz,4,000 Hz were respectively 80.4%, 72.5%, 37.3%, AP shift positive rate was 45.1%. Using McNemar test, the positive rate of tone burst 1000 Hz (chi2 = 15.04, P < 0.01) and that of tone burst 2,000 Hz (chi2 = 8.65, P < 0.01) were statistically significant different when compared with that of click SP/AP, besides the tone burst at 1,000 Hz yielded has the highest sensitivity. The click SP/AP positive rate in suspected group and definite group were respectively 12% and 45.1% (chi2 = 6.610, P < 0.05) and AP shift positive rate of them were respectively 8.0% and 41.2% (chi2 = 10.460, P < 0.01). By chis-quare test, the positive rates of click SP/AP and AP shift between these two groups were statistically significant different. CONCLUSION Electrocochleography is a reliable test in the diagnosis of Meniere's disease. Compared with clicks, tone burst significantly has a higher sensitivity, especially at 1000Hz and 2000Hz frequencies. A prolonged action potential latency shift evoked by rarefaction and condensation clicks is also a useful addition to diagnosis Meniere' disease.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Audiometry, Evoked Response ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Meniere Disease ; diagnosis ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult

Background The enhance of differentiation of orbital preadipocyte is a main factor for pathogenesis of thyroid associated ophthalmopathy(TAO).Experiment has proved that orbital preadipocyte can differentiate into mature adipocyte expressing resistin,and resistin is a adipocyte factor with biological activity.Objective The present study is to investigate the effects of recombinant human resistin on differentiation of orbital preadipocytes derived from TAO patients orbital tissues.Methods Orbital adipose tissue was obtained from 10 eyes with TAO during the orbital decompression surgery.Orbital adipose tissue of the normal group was obtained from 5 removed eyes during the surgery due to different reasons.Preadipocytes were isolated and cultured using expand culture method.The 2-5 generations of preadipocytes were identified by oil red O staining under the light microscope.0,10,25,50,100ng/mL of recombinant human resistin were added into medium in the first day after differentiation of cells.The expression of PPARγ mRNA in differentiated adipocytes were detected by reverse trancripaton PCR(RT PCR).Results The differentiation of preadipocyte presented the similar procedure and outcome between the TAO group and normal group.Differentiated adipocyte was stained into the jacinth by oil red O.The expression of PPARγ mRNA in differentiated cells was gradually declined with the increase of concentration of recombinant human resistin (F=241.341,P＜0.01).A dose dependent inhibitory effect was detected in the expression of PPARγ mRNA.The weakest expression of PPARγ mRNA in differentiated cells was 100ng/mL resistin group.Conclusion The recombinant human resistin has an inhibitory effect on the differentiation of orbital preadipocytes by reducing the expression of adipose related genes.Resistin is probably a new research approach to treatment of TAO.

The genus Rhodococcus is of considerable interest in recent years, stemming from their diverse applications in biodegradation, bioremediation, biotransformation and biosurfactant. Using Nocardia/Rhodococcus-Escherichia coli shuttle plasmid pNV18.1 as the backbone vector, we tested the driven efficiency of promoters Ptac and PlacZ of E. coli and Pami-1/Pami-2 of R. ruber in host R. rhodochrous ATCC 33278 by overexpression of nitrile hydratase. Results showed that the specific activity of nitrile hydratase per dry cell weight in engineered Rhodococcus strains driven by Ptac, Pami-1, Pami-2 and PlacZ was 7.5, 6.3, 5.3 and 1.8 times of that in the wild, respectively. It indicated that these promoters could be well recognized by RNA polymerase of Rhodococcus. We further expressed the beta-galactosidase reporter gene (lacZ) in R. ruber driven by promoter PlacZ. Results indicated that lacZ was an appropriate reporter gene for genetic or metabolic engineering research of Rhodococcus.
Escherichia coli ; genetics ; Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial ; Genes, Reporter ; genetics ; Lac Operon ; genetics ; Promoter Regions, Genetic ; genetics ; Rhodococcus ; enzymology ; genetics ; beta-Galactosidase ; genetics

Objective To evaluate color Doppler ultrasonography(CDU) in the diagnosis of intraocular tumor. Methods Two hundred seventy-three cases(301 eye) of intraocular space-occupying lesions were examinated by high-resolution CDU to observe the two-dimensional gray-scale image and vasculature of intraocular tumors. Results Intratumor calcifying spot could be detected in 138 cases(149 eye) of 153 cases(178 eye) with retinoblastoma,and intratumor blood flow with branchy pattern could be found in 152(177 eye) of 153 cases(178 eye) with retinoblastoma. In 4 Coats disease and 2 persistent hyperplastic primary vitreous and 3 retinopathy of prematurity, intratumor calcifying spot couldn′t be detected,and the band blood flow of the detached retinal vessels could be detected. Intratumor blood flow with branchy pattern could be detected in all 66 choroidal melanomas and 4 melanomas of ciliary body with infiltrated choroid and 15 of 19 choroidal metastases. Intratumor blood flow with “simulating vessel pool” or conglomerate sparkled pattern could be found in 12 choroidal hemangioma. No intrinsic flow was detected in 8 choroidal hemorrhages or subretinal hemorrhages and 2 teratoid medulloepitheliomas. Conclusions CDU is of significance in the diagnosis and differention of intraocular tumors.