Objective:To illustrate the characteristics of the distribution of prophages among the Group A Streptococcus(GAS) by mining the existing whole genome sequencing of the GAS, performing bioinformatic analyses, extracting data about prophages, and analyzing the state of prophages in the genome and genetic composition of some prophages. Methods:It was a retrospective study.Genome assembly sequences of GAS reported in GenBank till May 2020 were collected, and the important background information of these strains was sorted out to create a local genomic database.A phylogenetic tree of the whole genome of GAS was conducted using the bioinformatics software.The core genome was analyzed, and potential prophages and their integrity in the genome were predicted to obtain the characteristics of the distribution of prophages.Genotype types, number of core genes, and number, length and carrying rate of prophages in the database for GAS were analyzed.Results:A database containing the genome sequence of 2 529 GAS strains was established, involving 140 emm genotypes.These strains were isolated from 19 countries from East Asia, Europe, America and Oceania.Stratified by the disease background, these strains were mainly divided into invasive infection, non-invasive infection and immune sequelae.Prophage analysis of 1 798 genomes showed that at least one complete prophage was detected in 1 366 (76.0%) genomes.The number of complete prophages of each strain ranged from 0 to 6, and the length ranged from 32.8 to 62.6 kb, which was mainly 30-40 kb in length.The phiHKUssa, phiHKUvir and phiHKU488 were the most common prophages present in dominant clones circulated in China in recent years, which mainly carried virulence genes like the speC, spd1 and ssa. Conclusions:Prophages are widely distributed in the genome of GAS, which are of great significance in the evolution and expansion of dominating clones and thus reshape the population structure within the emm genotype.The establishment of a local genome database provides important baseline data for molecular epidemiological surveillance.

AIM: To investigate the mechanism by which Yijing Decoction antagonist high glucose-induced damage to the basement membrane(BM)in an in vitro inner blood-retinal barrier(iBRB)model.METHODS:Rat retinal microvascular pericytes(RMPs)and endothelial cells(ECs)were isolated and cultured to establish an in vitro iBRB model. The cells were randomly divided into four groups: low glucose group(LG), high glucose group(HG), minocycline group(MG)and Yijing Decoction group(YG). The LG group received 25 mmol/L glucose, the HG group received 60 mmol/L glucose, the MG group received 60 mmol/L glucose + 10 μg/mL minocycline, and the YG group received 60 mmol/L glucose + 10% Yijing Decoction-containing serum. Incubation for each group were terminated after intervention for 12 h. Next, the Western blot analysis was performed to assess the protein expression of BM-related proteins, including collagen Ⅳ(CⅣ)and laminin(LN), as well as matrix metalloproteinase(MMPs)/tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinases(TIMPs)such as MMP-2, MMP-3, MMP-9, TIMP-1, TIMP-2.RESULTS:Compared to the LG group, the protein expressions of CⅣ increased in the HG, MG, and YG groups, as did LN in the HG and MG groups(all P<0.05). Both Yijing Decoction and minocycline effectively inhibited the elevated expression of CⅣ and LN induced by high glucose, and the difference between the YG, MG, and HG groups was statistically significant(all P<0.05). Futhermore, compared to the LG group, the protein expressions of MMP-2, MMP-3, and MMP-9 increased in the HG, MG, and YG groups(all P<0.05). Yijing Decoction specifically attenuated the high glucose-induced increase in MMP-2, MMP-3 and MMP-9 protein expression, and there were statistically significant differences between the YG and HG group(all P<0.05). No significant difference were observed in the expressions of TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 among the LG, HG, MG, and YG groups(all P>0.05).CONCLUSION:Yijing Decoction can potentially intervene in DR by modulating the protein expression of MMP-2, MMP-3, MMP-9, CⅣ, and LN, suppressing high glucose-induced BM remodeling, and mitigating damage to iBRB.

Objective:To evaluate the clinical effects of adjustable traction skin stretchers used in repair of wounds at the lower leg, foot and ankle.Methods:A retrospective study was performed to analyze the clinical data of 56 patients who had been treated for skin defects at the lower leg, foot and ankle from August 2016 to September 2022 at The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Honghui Hospital, Affiliated to Xi'an Jiaotong University Medical College, The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan Polytechnic University, and Yunnan Zhongde Orthopedic Hospital. There were 35 males and 21 females, aged (39.9±18.7) years. There were 43 traumatic wounds, 3 burns, 6 inflammatory wounds, 3 relief incisions due to osteofascial compartment syndrome, and 1 scar. The areas of skin defect ranged from 2.5 cm × 2.0 cm to 20.0 cm × 10.0 cm. The duration of wounds was (8.6±7.8) d. All the wounds were repaired with adjustable traction skin stretchers. The row-hook type of skin stretchers was used in 28 cases, the single-rod type in 20 cases, the single-rod type combined with an external fixator in 5 cases, and a combination of the row-hook type and the single-rod type in 3 cases.The time for wound traction closure, color of wound skin margin, skin swelling around the wound, functional recovery of affected limb and complications were recorded.Results:The time from skin stretching to wound closure was (7.8±3.8) d in the 56 patients. The color of wound skin edge after stretching was normal in 16 cases, dark red in 38 cases, and dark in 2 cases; the skin swelling around the wound was degree 1 in 21 cases, degree 2 in 33 cases, and degree 3 in 2 cases. The 56 patients were followed up for (8.9±4.1) months. Primary wound closure was achieved in 48 patients, and secondary wound closure in 8 patients after repair with an autologous skin graft. Partial skin necrosis occurred due to tension blisters after skin stretching in 2 patients, one of whom was repaired with an autologous skin graft and the other of whom by dressing change. Deep bone infection recurred in 2 patients whose wounds healed after their bone defects were repaired using Ilizarov technique of bone transfer. In the 56 patients, the muscle strength of the lower extremity beyond the wound was recovered to normal, and the range of motion of the joints adjacent to the wound also recovered to normal.Conclusion:In repair of wounds at the lower leg, foot and ankle, adjustable traction skin stretchers can lead to fine clinical effects and limited complications, because the stretchers can control the tension of skin digitally and precisely.

Objective:To investigate the radiation dose and fractionation regimens for limited stage small cell lung cancer (LS-SCLC) in Chinese radiation oncologists.Methods:Over 500 radiation oncologists were surveyed through questionnaire for radiation dose and fractionation regimens for LS-SCLC and 216 valid samples were collected for further analysis. All data were collected by online questionnaire designed by WJX software. Data collection and statistical analysis were performed by SPSS 25.0 statistical software. The differences in categorical variables among different groups were analyzed by Chi-square test and Fisher's exact test. Results:Among 216 participants, 94.9% preferred early concurrent chemoradiotherapy, 69.4% recommended conventional fractionation, 70.8% preferred a total dose of 60 Gy when delivering conventional radiotherapy and 78.7% recommended 45 Gy when administering hyperfractionated radiotherapy.Conclusions:Despite differences in LS-SCLC treatment plans, most of Chinese radiation oncologists prefer to choose 60 Gy conventional fractionated radiotherapy as the main treatment strategy for LS-SCLC patients. Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology (CSCO), National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) and Chinese Medical Association guidelines or expert consensus play a critical role in guiding treatment decision-making.

Objective:To investigate the effect of high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation(rTMS)on cue attention in male patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) after the acute withdrawal.Methods:A total of 90 male patients AUD who were hospitalized in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University and Psychiatric Hospital of Yunnan province from May 2020 to December 2020 were enrolled, then they were divided into study group and control group using random number table.Because 18 cases fell out during the study, 36 cases were included in each of the two groups.After the alcohol withdrawal syndrome eliminated, the study group received high-frequency rTMS at 10 Hz for 14 consecutive days, and the control group was administrated by sham rTMS.At baseline and after true or sham rTMS, the cognitive psychology experiment Oddball paradigm was completed, and the behavioral data of the subjects were collected.Paired-sample t-test was used to compare the changes of the two groups before and after treatment.Data analysis were conducted using SPSS 21.0 software. Results:There was no statistical difference between the study group and the control group in terms of drinking level, cognition level and demographic data(all P>0.05). In the Oddball paradigm, compared with the control group((526.72±75.30)ms, (0.98±0.02))the reaction time((497.93±64.51)ms, t=3.145, P=0.008) and accuracy rate((0.99±0.01), t=-2.803, P=0.016) in alcohol-related cues were significantly improved in the study group after rTMS intervention, but in the control group, there were no statistical differences(both P>0.05), whether the cue was alcohol related or not. Conclusion:The results suggest that the rTMS can enhance the attention bias of alcohol-related cues and change the impulse process partly.

Objective:To investigate the factors for and prevention of muscular calf vein thrombosis (MCVT) after unilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA).Methods:Between January 2018 and October 2020, 551 patients were admitted to Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital to Zhengzhou University for unilateral TKA. They were 187 males and 364 females, aged from 32 to 90 years (average, 64.6 years) and with 234 left and 317 right knees affected. They were assigned into a MCVT group ( n=77) and a non-MCVT group ( n=474) according to whether or not MCVT had happened at 7 days after operation. Recorded were the patients’ baseline information, tourniquet time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative prothrombin time (PT), postoperative thrombin time (TT), postoperative fibrinogen (FIB), D-dimer, platelet count (PLT), postoperative bed time, knee society score (KSS), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) fall time, and C-reactive protein (CRP) fall time so as to analyze the risk factors for MCVT. Results:There were significant differences between the 2 groups in age [(66.8±7.0) versus (64.2±9.6) years], body mass index (BMI) [(28.7±2.2) versus (25.0±2.4) kg/m 2], smoking (20/57 versus 41/433), diabetes (56/21 versus 172/302), primary hypertension (45/32 versus 174/300), coronary heart disease (50/27 versus204/270), hyperlipidemia (33/44 versus 149/325), varicosity (50/27 versus 166/308), tourniquet time [(97.9±22.6) versus (83.1±10.6) min], intraoperative blood loss [(73.2±40.6) versus (62.4±11.5) mL], postoperative PT [(10.7±0.8) versus (11.9±1.0) s], TT [(15.2±1.3) versus (17.2±2.4) s], FIB [(3.7±0.8) versus (3.2±0.5) g/L], D-dimer [(1.1±1.0) versus (0.8±0.3) μg/L], PLT [(233.4±68.5) versus (178.5±27.8) 10 9/L], postoperative bed time [(17.3±2.6) versus (14.6±3.8) h], KSS [(3.32±0.7) versus (3.61±0.56) points], ESR fall time [(2.90±0.74) versus (1.55±0.64) d] and CRP fall time [(2.90±0.74) versus (1.55±0.64) d] (all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that old age (95% CI: 0.890 to 1.112, P=0.034), high BMI (95% CI: 1.012 to 1.214, P=0.046), diabetes (95% CI: 1.002 to 2.590, P=0.020), D-dimer (95% CI: 1.239 to 10.292, P=0.001) and postoperative PLT (95% CI: 1.012 to 1.112, P=0.014) were independent risk factors for MCVT. Reduced postoperative bed time (95% CI: 1.009 to 1.469, P=0.040) was a protective factor. Conclusions:As old age, high BMI, diabetes, and high postoperative levels of D-dimer and PLT may be independent risk factors for MCVT, patients with such characteristics should be alert to MCVT. Early ambulation should be encouraged in patients after unilateral TKA to reduce postoperative bed time for prevention of the disease.

Objective:To investigate the feasibility of replacing the femoral prosthesis and implanting antibiotic calcium sulfate carriers in a two-stage revision for periprosthetic infection following total knee arthroplasty (TKA).Methods:Between May 2017 and January 2020, 35 patients were admitted to Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital to Zhengzhou University for periprosthetic infection after TKA. They were 12 males and 23 females, aged from 49 to 84 years (average, 67.9 years). The two-stage revision for periprosthetic infection was performed for all of them and replacement of femoral prosthesis and implantation of antibiotic calcium sulfate carriers were carried out in stage-one revision. Recorded were postoperative culture of micro-organisms, white blood cell count (WBC), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) before stage-one and stage-two revisions; the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) knee score, range of motion (ROM) and American Knee Society Score (KSS) were compared between preoperation and the last follow-up.Results:Postoperative negative culture was found in 22 cases (62.9%), and positive one in 13 cases (37.1%) of which 4 were caused by Staphylococcus aureus, 2 by Staphylococcus epidermidis, 2 by Candida glabrata, 2 by Candida parapsilosis, one by Candida albicans, one by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and one by Escherichia coli. WBC, ESR and CRP decreased on average from 13.67×10 9/L, 49.71 mm/h and 45.13 mg/L before stage-one revision to 6.44×10 9/L, 18.79 mm/h and 7.82 mg/L before stage-two revision. All patients were followed up for an average of 22.4 months (from 8 to 41 months). At the last follow-up, ROM, HSS and KSS were significantly increased from preoperative 73.2°±15.9°, 59.5±14.6 and 36.1±6.0 to 105.6°±13.2°, 84.3±10.0 and 86.1±5.6, respectively ( P<0.05). None of the patients showed any sign of re-infection at the last follow-up. Conclusion:For patients with periprosthetic infection following total knee arthroplasty, replacing femoral prosthesis and implantation of antibiotic calcium sulfate carriers can well control infection, facilitating recovery of range of motion and function after surgery.

BACKGROUND: Degeneration of the annulus fibrosus (AF), an important structure of the intervertebral disc, is one of the main causes of degenerative disc disease. Fabrication of scaffolds replicating the stratified microstructure of the AF is critical for the successful regeneration of AF. METHODS: In this study, we cultured rabbit AF-derived stem cells (AFSCs) using fabricated electrospun fibrous poly-Llactic acid scaffolds with different diameters. We applied cyclic tensile strain (CTS) on the scaffolds to regulate the differentiation of AFSCs into specific cell types that resided at the inner, middle, and outer zones of the AF. RESULTS: We found that the morphologies of AFSCs on the smaller-fiber-diameter scaffolds were nearly round, whereas spindle-like cells morphologies were observed on large-diameter scaffolds. CTS enhanced these phenomena and made the cells slender. The expression levels of collagen-I in cells increased as a function of the fiber diameter, whereas collagen-II and aggrecan exhibited opposite trends. Moreover, the application of CTS upregulated the gene expressions of collagen-I, collagen-II, and aggrecan. CONCLUSION Overlaying the scaffolds with different CTS-stimulated cells could eventually lead to engineered AF tissues with hierarchical structures that approximated the native AF tissue. Thus, the proposed methodologies could be potentially applied for AF regeneration.

Objective:To investigate the bacterial composition and antimicrobial resistance profile of clinical isolates from bloodstream infections in China.Methods:The clinical bacterial strains isolated from blood culture were collected during January 2020 to December 2020 in member hospitals of Blood Bacterial Resistant Investigation Collaborative System (BRICS). Antibiotic susceptibility tests were conducted by agar dilution or broth dilution methods recommended by Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI, USA). WHONET 5.6 was used to analyze data.Results:During the study period, 10 043 bacterial strains were collected from 54 hospitals, of which 2 664 (26.5%) were Gram-positive bacteria and 7 379 (73.5%) were Gram-negative bacteria. The top 10 bacterial species were Escherichia coli (38.6%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (18.4%), Staphylococcus aureus (9.9%), coagulase-negative Staphylococci (7.5%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (3.9%), Enterococcus faecium (3.3%), Enterobacter cloacae (2.8%), Enterococcus faecalis (2.6%), Acinetobacter baumannii (2.4%) and Klebsiella spp (1.8%). The prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococcus aureus were 27.6% and 74.4%, respectively. No glycopeptide- and daptomycin-resistant Staphylococci were detected. More than 95% of Staphylococcus aureus were sensitive to rifampicin and SMZco. No vancomycin-resistant Enterococci strains were detected. Extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) producing Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus mirabilis were 48.4%, 23.6% and 36.1%, respectively. The prevalence rates of carbapenem-resistance in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae were 2.3% and 16.1%, respectively; 9.6% of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae strains were resistant to ceftazidime/avibactam combination. The prevalence rate of carbapenem-resistance in Acinetobacter baumannii was 60.0%, while polymyxin and tigecycline showed good activity against Acinetobacter baumannii. The prevalence rate of carbapenem-resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was 23.2%. Conclusions:The surveillance results in 2020 showed that the main pathogens of bloodstream infection in China were gram-negative bacteria, while Escherichia coli was the most common pathogen, and ESBL-producing strains declined while carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae kept on high level. The proportion and the prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa were on the rise slowly. On the other side, the MRSA incidence got lower in China, while the overall prevalence of vancomycin-resistant Enterococci was low.

BACKGROUND: Degeneration of the annulus fibrosus (AF), an important structure of the intervertebral disc, is one of the main causes of degenerative disc disease. Fabrication of scaffolds replicating the stratified microstructure of the AF is critical for the successful regeneration of AF. METHODS: In this study, we cultured rabbit AF-derived stem cells (AFSCs) using fabricated electrospun fibrous poly-Llactic acid scaffolds with different diameters. We applied cyclic tensile strain (CTS) on the scaffolds to regulate the differentiation of AFSCs into specific cell types that resided at the inner, middle, and outer zones of the AF. RESULTS: We found that the morphologies of AFSCs on the smaller-fiber-diameter scaffolds were nearly round, whereas spindle-like cells morphologies were observed on large-diameter scaffolds. CTS enhanced these phenomena and made the cells slender. The expression levels of collagen-I in cells increased as a function of the fiber diameter, whereas collagen-II and aggrecan exhibited opposite trends. Moreover, the application of CTS upregulated the gene expressions of collagen-I, collagen-II, and aggrecan. CONCLUSION Overlaying the scaffolds with different CTS-stimulated cells could eventually lead to engineered AF tissues with hierarchical structures that approximated the native AF tissue. Thus, the proposed methodologies could be potentially applied for AF regeneration.