ω-transaminases are able to catalyze the reversible transfer of amino groups between diverse amino compounds (such as amino acids, alkyl amines, aromatic amines) and carbonyl compounds (such as aldehydes, ketones, ketoacids). ω-transaminases exhibit great application prospects in the field of chiral amine biosynthesis because of their desirable properties, such as wide range of substrates, high stereoselectivity, and mild catalytic conditions. It is therefore important for China to develop efficient, specific, and environment-friendly chiral amine production technologies with independent intellectual property rights, which is of great significance for the development of pharmaceutical, pesticide, and material industries. This review systematically summarizes the Chinese patents regarding ω-transaminase filed by Chinese institutions in the recent decade. The development of ω-transaminase resource, enzymatic property improvement by protein engineering, application in chiral amine synthesis, and development of production technologies are elaborated. This review will shed light on further basic and application studies of ω-transaminase.
Transaminases/genetics* ; Amino Acids ; China ; Aldehydes ; Amines

The threat of fungal diseases is increasingly rigorous. The clinically invasive fungal infections remain a main cause of morbidity and mortality in certain high-risk groups, especially in critical patients or immunocompromised patients. In drug therapy, the problems of off-target toxicity and antifungal drug resistance are still challenging. With the wide application of biomaterials and nanotechnology, more nanomedicine studies have been carried out on antifungal drugs, such as the amphotericin B liposome which greatly reduced the renal toxicity of drugs has been successfully marketed. For the unique physical and chemical properties, the nano-drug delivery system possessed great potential in improving the bioavailability, reducing the side effects of drugs, increasing the stability of drugs, and achieving cells or tissue-specificity through the modification. This review summarized the applications and limitations of antifungal drugs. Some nanomedicines were summarized in discussion oriented around the antifungal therapy, including liposomes, niosomes, lipid nanoparticles, polymer nanoparticles, microemulsion, dendrimers, inorganic nanocarriers. Nanotechnology and nano-drug delivery system provide promising strategies for the research and development of new formulations that can improve antifungal activity and possibly overcome antifungal drug resistance.

Objective To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of reported imported malaria cases in Zhengzhou City from 2016 to 2020, so as to provide insights into the management of imported malaria in the city. Methods All data pertaining to cases with definitive diagnosis of malaria in Zhengzhou City from 2016 to 2020 were captured from the National Notifiable Disease Report System and the Information Management System for Parasitic Disease Control in China, including individual demographic data, and malaria onset, initial diagnosis and definitive diagnosis data. All data were descriptively analyzed. The duration from malaria onset to initial diagnosis, from initial diagnosis to definitive diagnosis and from onset to definitive diagnosis was compared among cases. In addition, the diagnoses of imported malaria cases in which definitive diagnosis was made were compared with the reexaminations by Zhengzhou Municipal Malaria Diagnosis Reference Laboratory. Results A total of 302 cases with definitive diagnosis of malaria were reported in Zhengzhou City from 2016 to 2020, and all were imported cases, with Plasmodium falciparum malaria as the predominant type (230 cases, 76.2%). There were 293 malaria cases imported from Africa (293 cases, 97.0%), which mainly included Nigeria (48 cases, 15.9%), Angola (40 cases, 13.2%), and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (29 cases, 9.6%). There was no obvious seasonality found in the date of malaria onset and time of reporting malaria. The ratio of male to female malaria cases was 49.3:1, and there were 103 cases (34.1%) with the current residency address in Zhengzhou City, 193 cases (63.9%) with the current residency address in other cities of Henan Province and 6 cases (2.0%) in other provinces of China. There were 271 cases (89.7%) seeking initial diagnosis in medical institutions, and the diagnostic accuracy of malaria was 56.6% (171/302) at initial diagnosis institutions. A total of 122 cases (40.4%) sought medical care on the day of malaria onset, and 252 cases (86.4%) within 3 days; however, only 22 cases (7.3%) were definitively diagnosed on the day of onset, and 162 cases (53.6%) diagnosed within 3 days. There were no significant differences between malaria cases seeking initial diagnosis at medical institutions and disease control and prevention institutions in terms of the duration from malaria onset to initial diagnosis (Z = −1.663, P > 0.05), from initial diagnosis to definitive diagnosis (Z = −0.413, P > 0.05) or from malaria onset to definitive diagnosis (Z = −0.838, P > 0.05). The median duration (interquartile range) from initial diagnosis to definitive diagnosis of malaria was 3.00 (2.00), 3.00 (6.00), 2.00 (4.00) d and 1.00 (1.00) d among cases seeking medical care at township-level and lower, county-, city- and province-level medical institutions, and the median duration from initial diagnosis to definitive diagnosis of malaria was significantly longer among cases seeking medical care at township-level and lower medical institutions than at city (Z = −3.286, P < 0.008 33) and province-level medical institutions (Z = −9.119, P < 0.008 33), while the median duration from initial diagnosis to definitive diagnosis [1.00 (3.00) d vs. 2.00 (4.00) d; Z = −4.099, P < 0.016] and from malaria onset to definitive diagnosis [3.00 (4.00) d vs. 4.00 (5.00) d; Z = −2.868, P < 0.016] among malaria cases with the current residency address in Zhengzhou City was both shorter than in other cities of Henan Province. The diagnostic accuracy was 89.1% (269/302) among malaria cases in which definitive diagnosis was made, and the accuracy of malaria reexaminations was 94.0% (284/302) in Zhengzhou Municipal Malaria Diagnosis Reference Laboratory. Conclusions P. falciparum malaria was predominant among reported imported malaria cases in Zhengzhou City from 2016 to 2020, and these imported malaria cases were predominantly diagnosed at medical institutions; however, the diagnostic capability of malaria is poor in township-level and lower medical institutions. Strengthening the collaboration between medical institutions and disease control and prevention institutions and improving the diagnostic capability building at medical institutions are recommended to consolidate malaria elimination achivements.

OBJECTIVETo explore the clinical effects of anterior decompression and fusion with a nano-hydroxyapatite/ polyamide 66 (n-HA/PA66) cage in treating lower cervical fracture and dislocation.

METHODSFrom January 2008 to December 2010, the clinical data of 42 patients with lower cervical fracture and dislocation were retrospectively analyzed. There were 29 males and 13 females aged from 20 to 65 years old. The mean age was 46.8 years. Five cases got injuried in C3, 14 cases in C4, 12 cases in C5, 7 cases in C6 and 4 cases in C7. According to Frankel grade, 4 cases were classified in grade A, 11 cases in grade B, 13 cases in grade C, 9 cases in grade D and 5 cases in grade F. Twenty-eight cases were treated with anterior corpectomy and fusion and 14 cases with anterior discectomy and fusion. Frankel grade was used to do neurologic assessment and visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to evaluate the improvement of clinical symptoms. Segmental height and sagittal lordosis were measured by radiographs and cage location. Cage appearance and fusion status were assessed by 3D-CT images.

RESULTSAll patients were followed up for 3 to 5.2 years with an average of 4.1 years. Frankel grade had obviously improved than preoperative (Z = -4.845, P < 0.001). There were 2, 3, 11, 8, 11 cases classified in grade A, grade B, grade C, grade D and grade E respectively. At the third day after operation and latest follow-up,VAS was (2.6 +/- 1.8),(1.3 +/- 1.0) scores respectively. Both had improved than preoperative (P < 0.05). Up to the latest follow-up, there was only one patient (2.4%) with slight cage translocation (less than 2 mm), however, no cage prolapsed, or collapse, or breakage were found. Both segmental height and lordosis improved significantly after surgery (P < 0.001). And there was not significant difference in both parameters between each postoperative time points (P > 0.05). The mean distance of cage subsidence was 1.5 mm and the rate of cage subsidence (> 3 mm) was 4.8%.

CONCLUSIONThe n-HA/PA66 cage can not only restore and maintain the fusion segmental height and radian, but also promote the osseous fusion and profit the radiographic assessment after operation. Thus, it was an ideal material for prop graft.

Adult ; Aged ; Cervical Vertebrae ; injuries ; surgery ; Decompression, Surgical ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Joint Dislocations ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Fractures ; surgery ; Spinal Fusion ; methods

Animals ; Calcitriol ; pharmacology ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; complications ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; complications ; Liver ; drug effects ; Liver Diseases ; complications ; drug therapy ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

BACKGROUNDDiabetes has been associated with increased risk of fracture and impaired fracture healing. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of diabetes on perioperative complications, length of stay and ambulatory ability recovery in individuals with hip fracture, and to determine whether changes could be made to improve treatment outcome.

METHODSThe study included 707 hip fracture patients treated at Beijing Jishuitan Hospital between July 2009 and December 2010. The medical history and perioperative complications were compared between non-diabetic and diabetic groups. Length of stay, days awaiting surgery, and days of hospitalization after surgery were also analyzed. Ambulatory ability was compared at 1-year follow-up using the Chi-square test and Fisher's exact test. An independent Student's t-test was used to compare normally distributed continuous data.

RESULTSPatients with diabetes were more likely than non-diabetic patients to develop cardiac perioperative complications (8.9% vs. 3.0%, P = 0.021), urinary tract infections (12.0% vs. 2.8%, P < 0.001), and gastrointestinal symptoms (15.0% vs. 6.8%, P = 0.003). No difference in perioperative complications was observed between the groups. Days awaiting surgery and length of hospital stay were both longer in the diabetic group ((8.0 ± 5.1) vs. (6.2 ± 3.7) days and (16.5 ± 3.8) vs. (13.3 ± 3.8) days, P < 0.001, respectively). Before the occurrence of fracture, patients with diabetes were less likely to be ambulatory outdoors (71.9% vs. 85.9%, P < 0.001) and had more restricted walking ability. After at least 1-year follow-up, similar proportions of patients in the non-diabetic and diabetic groups (16.1% and 15.9%, respectively), who were able to ambulate outdoors before the fracture, became housebound till the final follow-up.

CONCLUSIONSDiabetics are at increased risk of specific complications and have a longer time to surgery and longer in-hospital stay, but generally have similar recovery to non-diabetics thereafter.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Chi-Square Distribution ; Diabetes Mellitus ; physiopathology ; Female ; Hip Fractures ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Perioperative Period ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To explore the diagnostic value of two-dimensional speckle tracking technology in the evaluation of right ventricular systolic function in patients with pulmonary disease .Methods Thirty patients with pulmonary heart disease were divided into two groups:group of compensated pulmonary heart disease(compensated group ) (n =15),group of decompensated pulmonary heart disease (decompensated group)( n =15).30 healthy subjects were enrolled in control group .The displacement of the tricuspid annulus at the midpoint(TADmid),the displacement of the tricuspid annulus at the free wall (TADfre) and the displacement of the tricuspid annulus at the septum (TADsep) were acquired,and simultaneous real-time three-dimensional ultrasound detection of right ventricular ejection fraction (RVEF) were taken.The correlation of TADmid with RVEF and pulmonary artery systolic pressure ( PASP) were analyzed.Results TADmid of the healthy control group,the compensated group and the decompensated group were(17.1 ±3.9)mm, (13.6 ±2.6)mm,and(9.5 ±3.2)mm respectively.TADfre were(21.1 ±3.0)mm,(17.6 ±4.2)mm,and (11.5 ±3.8) mm respectively.TADsep were(12.0 ±2.5) mm,(9.7 ±3.3) mm,and(7.4 ±2.7) mm respectively.RVEF were(56.3 ±8.2)%,(39.6 ±6.4)%,and(28.1 ±5.9)% respectively.PASP were (20.6 ±2.6) mm Hg (1 mm Hg =0.133 kPa), (63.3 ±5.6) mm Hg, and (82.5 ±11.2)mm Hg respectively.There were significant differences of TADmid , RVEF, and PASP among the 3 groups ( F =8.581,7.816,9.300,6.507,10.235, all P <0.05).TADfre, TADmid, TADsep and RVEF were all decreased in the compensated group comparing to the healthy control group ,while PASP was increased.The decrease of TADmid was the most significant ,while that of TADfre was the slightest .There were significant differences of TADfre,TADmid,TADsep,RVEF and PASP between the 2 groups(t=2.703,2.536,2.379, 2.817,3.026,all P<0.05).TADfre,TADmid,TADsep and RVEF of decompensated group reduced more significantly than the compensated group , while PASP was increased significantly .There were significant differences of TADfre,TADmid,TADsep,RVEF and PASP between the 2 groups(t=2.519,2.493,2.236, 2.621,2.985,all P<0.05);TADfre and TADmid were decreased more apparently in decompensated group than that in compensated group ,and so were TADsep and RVEF,while PASP were increased.There were significant differences of TADfre,TADmid,TADsep,RVEF and PASP between the 2 groups (t =1.947, 2.680,2.016,2.653,2.893,all P<0.05).There was significant positive correlation between TADmid and RVEF measured by real-time three-dimensional ultrasound (r =0.904,P <0.01 ).There was significant negative correlation between TADmid and PASP (r=-0.686,P<0.01).The cut-off point value of TADmid measured by speckle tracking technology for evaluation of RVEF <45% and<30% were 13.65 mm and 9.80 mm,respectively.The sensitivity were 94.4%and 90.0%respectively,and the specificity were 78.6%and 90.0%respectively.Conclusions TADmid is hardly affected by the external factors ,and it can better reflect the changes of right ventricular systolic function for patients with pulmonary heart disease .TADmid is positively correlated with RVEF measured by real-time three-dimensional ultrasound and negatively correlated with PASP.Further more,the correlations is significant.The three parameters can authenticate mutually ,and the combination of them can evaluate the right ventricular systolic function in patients with pulmonary heart disease precisely.

BACKGROUNDThe non-hemodynamic effects of angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) in the delay of progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the influence of irbesartan on the urinary excretion of cytokines in patients with CKD.

METHODSIn this randomized perspective clinical trial, different doses of irbesartan (150 mg/d and 300 mg/d) were given to two groups of patients in a cross-over design. Blood pressure (BP), creatinine clearance (Ccr) and 24-hour proteinuria were examined. Urinary excretion of cytokines was determined by human inflammatory cytokine antibody array. A two-fold change in spot intensity was considered significant.

RESULTSUrinary excretion of cytokines (granulocyte colony stimulating factor (GCSF), intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), interferon γ (IFN-γ), interleukin 1β (IL-1b), IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-11, IL-15 and macrophage inflammatory protein 1d (MIP-1d)) in group B (irbesartan 300 mg/d) was significantly decreased in comparison to group A (irbesartan 150 mg/d) after 8-week treatment. In group A, 8 weeks of treatment induced a two- to nine-fold reduction in urinary cytokine levels (GCSF, GM-CSF, IFN-γ, IL-1a, IL-11, IL-12p40, MCP-2, MIP-1a), while increasing the dosage to 300 mg/d further decreased the excretion of GCSF, GM-CSF, IL-12p40, MCP-2 and MIP-1a by week 18. There was no significant difference in BP or Ccr between the two groups. However, 24-hour proteinuria was significantly reduced in both groups, and in group A the reduction was dose dependent.

CONCLUSIONIrbesartan offers additional renoprotection in a dose-dependent manner by reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines excretion in the urine of CKD patients.

Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Blockers ; therapeutic use ; Biphenyl Compounds ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Chronic Disease ; Creatinine ; metabolism ; Cross-Over Studies ; Cytokines ; urine ; Humans ; Kidney Diseases ; drug therapy ; immunology ; Prospective Studies ; Tetrazoles ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use

OBJECTIVETo initially evaluate the application of artificial vertebra of n-HA/PA66 in anterior reconstruction of lower cervical spine fracture and dislocation.

METHODSIn this study, 84 patients with lower cervical spine fracture and dislocation received anterior cervical discectomy, spinal canal decompression or subtotal corpectomy, spinal canal decompression and reconstruction by n-HA/PA66 composite artificial vertebral body combined with plate instrumentation. Neurological function was followed up by improvement rate of Frankel and situations of the supporting body was observed by X ray and 3D-CT in 3, 12, 24 months postoperatively. The intervertebral height, physical arc (reflected by Cobb angle) and the locations and fusion rate of the supporting body were assessed in order to evaluate the stability of the cervical spine and alignment improvements.

RESULTSAll the patients underwent operation successfully and were followed up for 6 to 24 months with an average of 12 months. The preoperative symptoms were improved to varying degrees. Imaging studies showed that in all cases graft fusion were achieved, and cervical alignments, intervertebral height, cervical spine stability and the locations of the artificial vertebral body were well maintained. No displacement and subsidence of the artificial vertebral body occurred. Postoperative immediate intervertebral height (2.4 ± 0.2) cm, preoperative intervertebral height (1.9 ± 0.1) cm, comparisons of the two groups was statistically significant (q = 2.48, P < 0.001). The immediate, 3 month, 1 year, 2 year period follow-up group intervertebral height was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Preoperative Cobb angle was 9.8° ± 1.2°, postoperative immediate Cobb angle was 16.6° ± 1.2°, comparisons of the two groups was statistically significant (q = 14.25, P < 0.001). The immediate, 3 month, 1 year, 2 year period follow-up group Cobb angle was not statistically significant (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSn-HA/PA66 artificial vertebral body can provide early cervical spine support and stability and effectively maintain the biological alignment and cervical intervertebral height. It has high rate of graft fusion and is convenient to observe by X-ray. Therefore, n-HA/PA66 can be taken as an ideal graft for anterior lower cervical spine fracture and dislocation operation, but further follow-up study is still required to evaluate the long-term effects.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Bone Substitutes ; Cervical Vertebrae ; injuries ; surgery ; Decompression, Surgical ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Fracture Fixation, Internal ; Humans ; Hydroxyapatites ; Joint Dislocations ; complications ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nanostructures ; Nylons ; Spinal Fractures ; complications ; surgery ; Spinal Fusion ; instrumentation ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo investigate the diagnostic accuracy of needle puncture biopsy and pathological examination of frozen during operation for pulmonary nodules, and whether this diagnostic method can replace tumor resection examination.

METHODSTotally 50 patients (28 males and 22 females, average age was 59 years) who had the single nodule after imaging examination without any pathological diagnostic from January to October 2010 were selected in this research work. During open operation or video assisted thoracic surgery, needle (14 G model) was used to puncture biopsy for pathological examination of frozen. All the adverse events during puncture biopsy would be recorded. The resection specimens would be accepted paraffin pathological examination. The relationship between puncture frozen pathological and paraffin pathological examination was analyzed.

RESULTSAll tumor sizes were ranged from 1.0 cm × 0.6 cm to 5.6 cm × 9.0 cm. The paraffin pathological examination after operation as the golden standard, there were 7 cases of benign tumor and 43 cases of malignant tumor. The diagnostic sensitivity of puncture biopsy was 90.7%, the specificity was 100%, the positive predictive value was 100% and the negative predictive value was 63.6%. There were 11 cases of benign tumor diagnosed by needle puncture biopsy, among which 4 cases were proved as malignant tumor by paraffin pathology, and the false negative rate was 9.3%. The main risk of puncture biopsy was bleeding after puncture immediately, and the rate was 4.0% (2/50).

CONCLUSIONSThe puncture biopsy during operation had a high specificity for malignant lung tumor, and there was a certain false negative rate for benign tumor. Puncture biopsy and pathological examination of frozen tissue can replace tumor section biopsy in a way.

Adult ; Aged ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; methods ; Female ; Frozen Sections ; Humans ; Intraoperative Care ; Lung Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity